Covid cases Qld: Fears of ‘sleeper cluster’ as 87,000 border passes issued
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer is braced for new Covid-19 cases to pop up across the state as the Sydney outbreak worsens.
QLD News
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A sleeper cluster of Covid-19 cases is feared to be lurking in Queensland, with authorities scrambling to enforce the toughest border restrictions for NSW this year amid a worsening outbreak in Sydney.
In her most dire warning of recent times, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young revealed she was preparing for cases to emerge across Queensland as a result of the spreading outbreak in NSW that has forced some regions into lockdown.
More than 87,000 border passes have been processed from NSW residents since June 19, when the Waverley local government area was declared a hot spot, and the Covid scare has thrown State of Origin into turmoil, with players to be temperature-checked up until kick-off.
Queensland will now enact its toughest border stance on NSW since December, and order anyone already in the state who has been in a declared hot spot from June 11 to follow the same lockdown rules as NSW, and those returning from Saturday to go into hotel quarantine.
“We could have any case in Queensland any day,” Dr Young said.
“Please, as Queenslanders have been doing for the past 18 months, any symptoms please come forward and get tested.
“I am very worried so this is why I’ve asked for people no matter where they’ve been in NSW to go and use that (online) traveller declaration pass.”
From June 19 to 23, 87,764 border passes were processed from NSW residents, but it is not known how many of those people crossed the border.
Acting Premier Steven Miles said Queensland was actively monitoring the situation in NSW – which was “largely contained to the Greater Sydney area”.
NSW Health on Friday confirmed the case load attached to the Sydney cluster grew by an additional 22.
Additionally, two cases linked to the Sydney outbreak have been found in Victoria and new exposure sites have been listed for the ACT and regional NSW.
With the virus threatening to spread further across southeast Australia, Dr Young said Queensland police were implementing random border intercepts and monitoring people entering the state, with 186 people from Sydney who attempted to enter turned away on Thursday.
She also suggested Queenslanders planning to travel to NSW should consider cancelling and look for alternative options in the Sunshine State.
“I believe at this stage anyone in Queensland needs to reconsider if they need to travel to NSW,” she said.
“Perhaps they should think about holidaying in Queensland.”
Health authorities have expanded the border travel pass to include the Coolangatta and Tweed Heads border zone, meaning anyone entering Queensland must complete an online form valid for 14 days.
Additionally, anyone in Queensland who has been in the Sydney local government areas of Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick and the City of Sydney since June 11 must follow the same lockdown rules that have been imposed in NSW.
“If you have been to one of the four local government areas, from 1am tomorrow, 26 June, you must stay where you are and only leave for the permitted purposes,” Dr Young said.
“But I’m asking you to be sensible – if you’re one of these people, please don’t rush off to another location on holiday – if you do, you’ll still need to follow these rules wherever you are.”
Dr Young has backdated the hotspot declaration to June 11, meaning any Queensland residents returning home after 1am on Saturday who have been in the hot spots in the past 14 days will have to go into hotel quarantine.
Any other travellers who have been in the hotspot areas in the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter Queensland except for a limited range of essential reasons.
Maroons and Blues players were last night preparing to enter Covid-clean zones for State of Origin II on Sunday.
The NRL is returning to last year’s strict game-day Covid requirements with State of Origin’s 34 combatants from Queensland and NSW to undergo temperature checks ahead of the return bout at Suncorp Stadium.
The NSW Origin team will go into a bubble from 1am in accordance with Covid hot spots affecting nominated Sydney areas, while the NRL is in talks with the Queensland government in relation to the Maroons, who are staying at a Gold Coast hotel.
“On the night, we will go back to what was required last year where players will undergo temperature checks, washing their hands, no contact with the media, all that sort of stuff,” Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said.
Players will be temperature-checked 15 minutes before kick-off and, if their reading is too high, they will have to get it down to an acceptable level before the whistle blows or miss out.
Mr Miles revealed the state recorded two new cases of community transmission on Friday – taking the cluster to seven.
Both new cases are linked to the Portuguese Community Centre and are in quarantine, with Dr Young unconcerned about the risk.
Dr Young said the partner of the Portuguese centre manager and a person who spent the day with the flight attendant were the two new cases.
“They have been in quarantine their entire infectious period,” she said.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said Queenslanders must remain vigilant to maintain low levels of restrictions.
“As we’ve seen with what is happening in NSW, this has now been transmitted to Victoria,” she said.
“We need to be cautious and we need to ensure we’re doing the right thing by ourselves and by our community by getting those tests done.
“We want to see our testing levels stay high.”
From Friday, more people are permitted in Queensland venues, and restaurant buffets have returned as the state eases restrictions.
Originally published as Covid cases Qld: Fears of ‘sleeper cluster’ as 87,000 border passes issued
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