Covid-19 Gold Coast: Lockdown extended, new Queensland coronavirus cases announced
The state government has announced an extension of the lockdown gripping the Gold Coast and southeast Queensland. DETAILS >>>>
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THE state government has announced an extension of the lockdown gripping the Gold Coast and southeast Queensland to Sunday afternoon.
On Monday morning, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the three-day Covid-19 lockdown in 11 LGAs due to end on Tuesday at 4pm was “insufficient” and would be extended until Sunday at 4pm.
“We’re advising southeast Queenslanders today in those 11 LGAs that the lockdown will be extended ... that will make it an eight-day lockdown,” he said.
“We desperately hope that will be sufficient for our contact tracers to get into home quarantine absolutely anyone who may have been exposed to the Delta strain.”
Mr Miles said 15 new cases had emerged, including 13 local cases linked to the Indooroopilly Delta cluster, which has now hit 31 cases and led to the cancellation of the Ekka.
He said seven of the new cases were school students at Ironside State School at St Lucia and home learning would be implemented in state schools from Tuesday for the week.
Mr Miles warned the community must obey the lockdown or it could be extended again.
“For us to come out of this at the weekend we need absolutely everyone in those LGAs to stay at home if they possibly can,” he said.
“There’s too many cars on the road in Brisbane at the moment. There’s too many people out and about, and if you absolutely have to leave home please make sure you wear a mask.”
There’s 66 coronavirus cases active in Queensland of a total 1824 cases since the pandemic began early last year.
It comes as New South Wales announced 207 new cases and Victoria announced just two cases on Monday.
Mr Miles said 21,806 tests were undertaken in Queensland on Sunday, which he said was a ”very good result” considering testing numbers are usually lower at the end of the week.
The state government has been pleading with more southeast Queenslanders to get tested.
“Our message is simple, not enough people are getting tested,” Mr Miles said on Sunday.
“If you have any symptoms please get tested so we can be sure this virus isn’t in the community.”
The number of people getting tested at Coast Covid-19 centres has been mixed on Monday morning, according to a Bulletin photographer.
For example, numbers at Medlab on Dreamworld Parkway at Coomera were fairly sparse, but QML Pathology on Entertainment Rd at Oxenford was bustling.
Mr Miles said it was hoped more than 40,000 Queenslanders would come forward to get tested in the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Mr Miles urged Queenslanders, including Coast residents, to avoid panic buying at supermarkets after some shelves were stripped on Saturday and Sunday.
He said supermarkets had asked for a message to be sent to help alleviate the problem.
“If you must go to the supermarket, please be respectful of the staff, please make sure you have your mask with you, please check-in with the QR code,” he said.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the Delta outbreak was “escalating” and the variant “really and truly spreads so rapidly”.
“Please, if you’re due for a vaccine go and get it unless you are in quarantine,” she said.
She expected “a lot of additional cases” would emerge in the community during the week after a case spent six days infectious. An updated list of exposure sites will be released.
Dr Young said people stuck in quarantine needed to stay put and the government has been “mobilising support for people”.
“If you are in quarantine, it is vital you absolutely adhere to that,” she said.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath urged anyone with Covid-19 symptoms to get tested now and said it would save lives.
She said the Delta variant was “leading to a higher rate of hospitalisation in NSW” and two people died at home in Sydney before they were tested.
Ms D’Ath also told employers to keep workers home unless it was unavoidable.
“Can they be working from home? If the answer is yes then that’s where they should be,” she said.
Ms D’Ath said this lockdown was tougher than previously seen because “we’re trying to save lives” during a Delta outbreak.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said 29 penalty infringement notices had been issued in the past 24 hours, and 18 involved people flouting the lockdown.
He revealed Queensland Police handed out 205 face masks on Sunday.
Mr Miles said the southeast “just can’t afford” Ekka in the current circumstances and described the risk as “far too great”.
“I know that’s sad and disappointing for many, many Queenslanders,” he said.
The Ekka agricultural show is Queensland’s largest annual event.
‘Don’t be the reason Covid lockdown is extended’
Earlier: Gold Coasters have been told to “bunker down” and do their part to squash the Covid outbreak as fears mount the southeast’s 72-hour lockdown will extend beyond Tuesday.
Queensland recorded nine new cases of community transmission – all the highly contagious Delta strain – on the first day of the shutdown. It’s the largest single jump in nearly a year and brings the state’s total active cases to 53.
Gold Coast streets including normally bustling visitor hubs were largely deserted Sunday, with “90 per cent” of locals abiding by the rules, according to Mayor Tom Tate.
But Cr Tate warned police were frustrated with the level of mask wearing, as well as locals taking to waterways on jetskis in defiance of the strictest-ever lockdown measures.
Under the lockdown rules, Gold Coaster can only travel 10km from their homes and may only leave for four reasons – essential work, obtaining essential goods including health care, exercise or assisting vulnerable people.
“There is a frustration from the police about people going out on their jetskis or exercising without a mask but I would say to these people that they might cause this strict lockdown to last beyond Tuesday,” he said.
“If this is the case then understand that each day that it goes on, that is further devastation to families and small businesses.
“You are taking the food out of the mouths of these people and we need to be team Gold Coast and do this together.”
Council on Sunday took drastic action to slow the Delta strain spread, closing all skate and BMX parks, 619 playgrounds, 393 barbecues and 347 pieces of gym equipment.
“Please don’t visit these city facilities as they present a high risk of Covid-19 transmission,” a council statement read.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young warned the number of infections was rapidly rising: “It can transmit within seconds of exposure.”
The southeast Queensland lockdown is due to end at 4pm on Tuesday, with a decision on whether to extend expected to be made on Monday.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles on Sunday urged anyone feeling unwell to get tested.
“This is the most number of new community infections we’ve reported in Queensland in almost 12 months,” he said.
Gold Coast drive-through testing clinics were largely quiet. NSW on Sunday recorded 239 cases, the larges single-day figure of the pandemic seen in the state.
CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said the city tourism industry, battered from both the previous lockdown and closed borders, were struggling with the latest shutdown, with a recent industry survey for July showing more than half of 165 businesses impacted by 50 per cent or more. A further 63 per cent of businesses indicated that they are reducing their trading and staff hours.
“Critically and looking forward to coming months, if the situation does not improve, 24 per cent of these businesses have indicated that they may need to cease their operation fully.”
Village Roadshow Theme Parks chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa said ahead of 4pm on Saturday, the city wasn’t in lockdown but “we were in meltdown”.
He called for a targeted return of JobKeeper, adding: “Fingers crossed we can contain this Delta outbreak – it can be brutal and this lockdown was necessary with what we have seen in other places.”
‘Mask up, man up’
A GOLD Coast doctor and the Mayor are asking the city to obey the “stringent” lockdown regulations to ensure locals can return to “normality”.
From 4pm on Saturday eleven southeast Queensland Local Government Areas, including the Gold Coast, will enter a snap three-day lockdown.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said it’s time for the city to “man up and mask up” after six new locally acquired cases of the Delta Covid-19 variant were recorded in Queensland on Saturday.
“We know that community halls are being shut down, events are already being shut down, our libraries are being shut down,” he said.
“This is going to be the most stringent lockdown since this Covid pandemic happened.”
Cr Tate said the Queensland Government had no choice but to put the southeast Queensland areas into lockdown.
Despite the Gold Coast not recording a case, Cr Tate said he had no issue with the city being included.
“This Delta strain is so rampant. We have to lock it down all the way to the border,” he said.
“I think it’s the right move to shut up hard so we can get back to normality.”
Dr Sonu Haikerwal opened the Upper Coomera respiratory clinic this morning after the lockdown announcement.
She said the Gold Coast needs to do the right thing to ensure the “relentless” virus doesn’t spread into the city.
“I’m in my scrubs ready to start to open to test and assess people,” she said.
“In the northern Gold Coast a lot of people work in Brisbane. I feel for the community and it’s such a lot of uncertainty, going through these roller coasters, it is very difficult for everybody.
“Get tested, keep looking at the updated exposure sites, if you have any symptoms get tested. That’s our only defence,” she said.
“I’m doing my part and opening up the (Upper Coomera) respiratory clinic, which was meant to be closed, I’m opening that to ease the pressure.”
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