Mackay police catch two Brisbane lockdown escapees

Police got a tip-off two people travelled from Brisbane to Mackay for the silliest of reasons. It ended up costing them dearly as part of a Queensland crackdown on those flouting lockdown laws.

Two Brisbane people have been fined $1378 each after travelling to Mackay “simply for a party”.

During a press conference in Brisbane on Saturday morning, Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said officers had 96 calls for service on Friday including two that resulted in arrests in Mackay and Noosa.

“We were given a tip-off about two persons in Mackay who had left Brisbane simply to attend a party knowing full well they should not be outside the lockdown,” he said.

“Both of those persons have received a $1378 fine for their trouble.

“We had two people in Noosaville who not only refused to check in with the check-in app, then refused to wear masks and then decided to have an argument with police and resist arrest.”

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said police intercepted more than 10,000 vehicles and compliance continued to improve.

But he said officers gave penalty notices to 42 drivers without a valid excuse for being out and about in the community and to 16 people who refused to wear masks out of the 175 persons police offered masks to.

“Stop that behaviour. This is about stopping the spread of this very dangerous virus,” he said.

Queensland Police are patrolling the Bruce Highway for people trying to escape lockdowns. Picture: Richard Walker

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there were also “people are coming from down south still trying to get into Queensland”.

“This puts everyone at risk,” she said.

“We had an incident yesterday where two paramedics are now in isolation waiting for the results of these people who came up from NSW.

“It is unacceptable that these people are still trying to get across our borders

“It not just puts our frontline workers — our police, our paramedics — at risk, it puts suburbs like the Gold Coast and the whole of Queensland at risk because they are on the front line of that border.

“When our borders are open, we want to welcome you with open arms, but now is not the right time.”

Chief health officer Jeanette Young said there had been 13 new cases overnight that were all locally acquired and all were in quarantine.

She said she was pretty sure all 13 were in quarantine for their infectious period but was awaiting one final piece of information.

Ms Young congratulated Rockhampton which had completed all day five testing and results had been negative.

While she said that was reassuring, she urged Cairns people to get tested after a reef pilot tested positive.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said all new cases were linked to the Delta cluster, which had swelled to 102 cases, and 12 were not out in the community while infectious.

He said there were 10,091 people in home quarantine right now that were being monitored.

“Whatever happens tomorrow – those people will need to stay in quarantine,” he said.

Mr Miles said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had tested negative on her final Covid test and would be released tomorrow.