All passengers on a number of flights will have to self isolate after being deemed ‘close contacts’ of someone with Covid

All passengers on a number of Queensland flights will be spending Christmas in self isolation after they were deemed close contacts of a positive Covid case.

All passengers aboard at least two flights will spend Christmas in self isolation after Queensland authorities deemed them close contacts of a person with Covid.

Queensland Health issued the urgent public health alert saying there had been a new exposure recorded on two Virgin flights; VA1105 from Newcastle to Brisbane and VA375 from Brisbane to Townsville. The exposure also includes Townsville and Brisbane Airports

A public health alert is being issued for new contact tracing locations at the Townsville and Brisbane Domestic Airports, as well as two Virgin flights.

Those affected are required to isolate for 14 days from exposure, regardless of negative result.

Passengers aboard a number of Virgin planes will now have to self isolate.

Queensland Health said it would provide more information later this morning.

“Queenslanders are being urged to regularly check the Queensland Health website for more information and possible locations,” the department said. “No matter where you live – if you have any Covid-19 symptoms at any time, no matter how mild, you should immediately get tested for Covid-19.

“Now more than ever, it is essential to get vaccinated and to continue to use the Check In Qld app at every location you visit,” it said.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer, Dr John Gerrard.

Queensland has confirmed the Omicron variant is among four new Covid cases on Tuesday, with authorities expecting the new variant to soon become the dominant strain.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said the Omicron case was detected in a man who had arrived from Kenya.

He is in quarantine and was not infectious while in the community.

Three other cases from northern NSW are also in quarantine.

“We are certainly anticipating that Omicron is likely to become the dominant strain worldwide in the coming weeks and months,” Dr Gerrard said.

“That is why it’s so critical that you’ll continue on the vaccination journey.”

The Argyle House in Newcastle.

Newcastle is the site of a rapidly growing coronavirus cluster, linked to a superspreader event at a nightclub and likely involving the new Omicron variant.

Dozens of people have since tested positive after attending The Argyle House in Newcastle on Wednesday, December 8 when the outbreak occurred.

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard told 2GB radio it was his understanding that the person in question, having earlier been at a cluster event on a Sydney Harbour party boat, ignored advice to isolate for seven days and instead went to The Argyle House nightclub.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.

The club has now been linked to more than 200 positive cases, out of roughly 650-680 people who were there that night.

“I believe that person was asked to self-isolate for seven days, and that person apparently, on the face of it, may not have done that and went to a nightclub in Newcastle,” Mr Hazzard told the radio station.

Mr Hazzard said if that was the case, he’d asked NSW Health to refer the individual to police.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier said Covid won’t halt Australia’s plans to ease restrictions ahead of Christmas.

“We’ve decided as a country to live with this virus and Australians have worked so hard for that,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“When we have vaccination rates about to hit 90 per cent, one of the highest in the world, that means we have choices today that we didn’t have 18 months ago and that means that we can continue to move forward.”