New Queensland Covid exposure sites after interstate arrivals test positive to Covid

Queensland’s acting chief health officer has been unable to guarantee the state’s borders will fully reopen as planned due to the emergence of the Omicron super-variant. It comes after three new Covid cases.

Queensland has recorded three new Covid cases in hotel quarantine as authorities are unable to guarantee the state’s borders will fully reopen at 80 per cent double dosed due to the emergence of the Omicron super-variant.

The new cases were linked to interstate arrivals who tested positive on their first day in Queensland.

Acting chief health officer Dr Peter Aitken, during a Covid update on Sunday, could not guarantee the borders would reopen without quarantine to domestic hotspots.

He described the question as a “hypothetical”.

“We’ll make that decision when there’s evidence available that needs a change in position. But at this stage there’s no evidence available to support a change in position,” he said.

Queensland's acting chief health officer Dr Peter Aitken. Picture: Richard Walker

Dr Aitken said Omicron, the new super strain of Covid-19, had been declared a variant of concern.

He said “we need to be cautious but we don’t need to be alarmed” over the new strain detected in South Africa.

Dr Aitken said 10 people from the nine southern African countries where Omicron had been detected were quarantining in Queensland.

He said Queensland Health had been in contact with all those people.

Dr Aitken said all of Australia’s chief health officers agreed with the 14-day pause in travel from those countries of concern.

Meanwhile, Minister Leeanne Enoch defended the government’s Covid check-in app over claims a flaw allows unvaccinated to fraudulently claim they have received both jabs.

Minister Leeanne Enoch. Picture: Liam Kidston

Ms Enoch, during a grilling from the media, snapped back at questions around the app, asking the reporter “Are you encouraging fraud?’.

She said any problems with the app were not a system failure.

“What we are seeing is not a flaw, it’s fraud and identity theft,” she said.

“You can’t pretend to be someone else unless you conduct illegal activity.”

A total of 9587 vaccinations were administered over the past 24 hours, with 86.05 per cent of Queenslanders having had their first dose, while 75.72 per cent are fully vaccinated.

From December 17, all QPAC staff and patrons would need to be fully vaccinated.

It comes after Queensland Health added new exposure sites to their website about 8pm Saturday night.

The exposure sites, which are low risk and casual contact, are for the Brisbane Airport on Thursday evening and are believed to be connected to a family who travelled from Victoria.

They are for carousel 7 on level 1 of the airport and the adjacent toilets.

The Brisbane Airport has been listed as a Covid exposure site. Picture: Richard Walker

Low risk contacts are advised to get tested as soon as practical but quarantine is not required unless you receive a positive test result.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the family returned a positive Covid-19 result “on entry testing to hotel quarantine”.

“They were detected as they landed,” he said.

Originally published as New Queensland Covid exposure sites after interstate arrivals test positive to Covid