WATCH LIVE: Latest Qld COVID cases
Despite Queensland recording no new cases of COVID-19 overnight, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said the state “is not out of the woods yet” and has confirmed a new NSW town has been added to the ‘border bubble’.
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There have been no new COVID cases in Queensland overnight.
It means there are currently 25 active cases in the Sunshine State, following more than 13,000 tests in the past 24 hours.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland was still not out of the woods just yet.
Ms Palaszczuk said Moree, in NSW, would now also be added to the state’s travel bubble so boarding school students could be home for Christmas.
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Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said she was confident that Moree was safe to be included in the border zone for NSW but she warned the situation could change. However, she said NSW was currently in control of the outbreak and was able to limit the virus to certain parts of their state.
Despite this, Dr Young said she remained concerned about the number of cases in Victoria and NSW ahead of today’s National Cabinet meeting.
She suggested there were still too many cases to open the borders, but said the situation was improving.
“We can’t afford to have a single case,” Dr Young said
Ms Palaszczuk said she understood no decisions would be made today at National Cabinet about borders, but a discussion would be held.
She insisted she always relied on the best health advice when making decisions, and said she was overwhelmed by the support to keep the borders shut
Dr Young said 900 residents from NSW were treated in Queensland hospitals in just the past week alone and she said a new specialist unit was now in place for NSW people to immediately seek advice about health exemptions so they could get health care.
The specialist team of about 80 people, including doctors and social workers, will consider border exemptions for health matters.
This morning’s update follows news a Queensland aged care staff member worked for two days while infectious with coronavirus.
The employee, in her 30s, works at Karinya Place, at Laidley, west of Brisbane, but did not have direct contact with residents.
She was one of two new cases of COVID-19 reported in Queensland yesterday, including a man, also in his 30s.
Both cases are linked to the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre cluster.
Dr Young said there have now been 30 cases linked to that cluster, including five people who have recovered.
She said it was vital that the state keep people in aged care homes safe, as she urged Queenslanders to be patient with the current lockdown at aged care facilities.
Dr Young confirmed around 10,000 people were continuing to come forward every day for testing and she commended the state’s efforts.