NRL match goes ahead 24 hours after lockdown lifted

Queensland CHO defends the decision to allow Broncos match to go ahead on Sunday, with a crowd of about 15,000 expected.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says an NRL match on Sunday does not pose a risk to public health. Picture: John Gass

Brisbane emerged from a four-day lockdown on Saturday night and dived straight into an NRL match at Suncorp Stadium despite the Premier’s warning there was still a long way to go before the city was in the clear from the latest Covid-19 outbreak.

Annastacia Palaszczuk announced just two new cases of Covid-19 in the state on Sunday, including one in hotel quarantine, and one in home quarantine and linked to the Portuguese restaurant cluster. She described the low numbers as “excellent news” but warned the risk of widespread infection still existed following the four-day lockdown and said mask-wearing must continue.

“It appears that everything is under control at this point in time so we’re very, very relieved about that,” said Ms Palaszczuk. “I know that it’s a big ask for people to continue wearing their mask and checking in. We do need to all stick together for the next 12 days, we’ve still got a long way to go.”

Ms Palaszczuk reiterated her call for those aged over 70 who were not vaccinated against Covid-19 to stay at home where possible. “Of course you can see close family members, but we want you to minimise your risk during this time over the next 12-days,” she said.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young defended the decision to allow a Broncos match to go ahead at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, with a crowd of about 15,000. She said the ticket sales represented about a third of the stadium’s capacity and people were required to wear masks inside and outside the venue.

“I’m very, very comfortable. We’ve not seen outbreaks at any of our stadiums,” said Dr Young.

“We’ve had positive cases across Australia at stadiums but they haven’t led to outbreaks because people when they go to a stadium, they go and sit in their seat, they stay in their area.”

A Brisbane airport baggage handler who returned an initial positive test on Friday, was subsequently found not to have the virus and Dr Young said a Prince Charles Hospital worker had been confirmed as linked to the Portuguese restaurant cluster.

“They’ve got the Alpha variant so there’s another case there, that we’ve got to work out how they got it,” she said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the one-day extension to the lockdown had proven too much for some, with police issuing 17 fines on Saturday. “Four of those were for not wearing a mask and 13 were for not following lockdown restrictions, including four males who decided to drive from Brisbane to Gladstone in the morning to attend a party,” he said.

There were now more than 4000 people in home quarantine in Queensland, and 3262 in hotel quarantine over 16-hotels.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath reminded those in home quarantine that they were not allowed to go out for any reason, other than an emergency such as a house fire.

“Our systems support is still there if you need assistance to get medicines, to get groceries, our staff can assist,” said Ms D’Ath.

The large number in home quarantine was due to the recent outbreak, resulting in numerous “exposure sites” including supermarkets and restaurants.