Queensland records 86 new Covid cases as quarantine rules change for fully vaccinated close contacts

Queensland has recorded 86 new Covid cases overnight as changes to quarantine requirements are fast-tracked amid fears thousands of Queenslanders would be forced to isolate for Christmas.

Queensland has recorded 86 new cases of Covid overnight, including 79 locally acquired, while quarantine requirements have changed for fully vaccinated close contacts.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said today’s cases were the most recorded in a 24-hour period in Queensland since the pandemic started.

There are 269 active cases in Queensland, with 61 confirmed cases of Omicron.

Six of the new cases are linked to interstate arrivals, while Emerald in Central Queensland has recorded its first case.

Mr Miles said fully vaccinated close contacts could quarantine for seven days from Wednesday 1am, down from the existing 14 days.

Those in quarantine would be required to get a Covid test on day zero and day five.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Dan Peled

Mr Miles said there were 75 Covid patients in hospital, with one in intensive care.

He said the state would continue to adhere to the health advice that required a PCR test on day five of quarantine.

Mr Miles said he was aware of the long delays for interstate travellers from hotspots acquiring a Covid test, with reports of nine-hour waits in NSW and many not able to get a test result within the 72-hr rule.

He said long delays were expected considering there were more than 235,000 border passes issued from Queensland Police for travellers from interstate hotspots.

New quarantine requirements

FROM 1AM WEDNESDAY, NEW QUARANTINE RULES APPLY FOR FULLY VACCINATED CASUAL AND CLOSE CONTACTS

• Casual contacts are required to get tested immediately and quarantined until they receive a negative test result. 
• Casual contacts are encouraged to wear a mask outside the home for 14 days after their quarantine.
• Vaccinated close contacts will be required to quarantine for seven days, and required to get tested immediately and then again on day five.
• The vaccinated close contacts can move out of quarantine on day eight, pending a negative test result.
• Precautionary measures for those close contacts will include mask wearing and avoiding high density venues from day eight to 14.
• Vaccinated household members of vaccinated close contacts do not need to quarantine but will need to get tested on day one and five.
• Unvaccinated household members will need to follow the same quarantine requirements as the close contact unless they can separate from them.

RULES FOR UNVACCINATED CLOSE CONTACTS

• Still required to quarantine for 14 days, and need to get tested on days one, five, and 12.
• Unvaccinated household members of an unvaccinated close contact will need to follow the same quarantine rules and testing requirements as the close contact unless they can separate from them. 

Mr Miles said there would be no extension of the 72-hour test requirement.

Police commissioner Katarina Carroll said travellers needed to make a ‘genuine effort’ to get their test back in time but in some compassionate circumstances, police were putting people in hotel quarantine while they await their result.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said the doubling of cases was expected and additional measures were being considered but the trajectory suggested Queensland could be seeing thousands of daily cases by January.

“There are measures we are taking including vaccination, increased mask wearing, and reducing seating events,” he said.

Dr Gerrard said of the of the 86 new cases, 67 were still under investigation.

He said Omicron was now the dominant variant of the virus in Queensland, with twice as many Omicron cases as opposed to Delta.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: Brad Fleet

There were 34,000 tests on Monday while 84 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated and 89.8 per cent have had their first dose.

“We expect to hit the 90 per cent first dose mark when the commonwealth reports this afternoon,” Dr Gerrard said.

In relation to changes to quarantine requirements, Dr Gerrard said people who were unvaccinated would have to quarantine for 14 days.

“We are joining with the other states in the national standard of a seven-day quarantine period,” he said.

Dr Gerrard said authorities had not made a call on what the quarantine arrangements would be for international arrivals.

In relation to the new case in Emerald, Dr Gerrard said: “You can assume this virus is widespread across Queensland.”

Dr Gerrard said that most of the 75 patients who were in hospital were for precautionary or “other” reasons.

He said that there was an unvaccinated woman who was discussed yesterday who was in intensive care but there were many reasons why some of these cases were in hospital.

“It may be because there an elderly person, or the child of someone who is immunosuppressed, or a traveller for example,” Dr Gerard said.

Dr Gerrard said that Queensland Health was working to provide alternatives for those cases currently in hospital in order to clear beds.

“We will clear those beds in anticipation for the increase in hospitalisation which we were always planning for,” he said.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll. Picture: Adam Head

Ms Carroll said police have 225,000 people had applied for general vehicle passes since the borders opened.

She said police were seeing a large number of people arriving at road borders without a negative PCR test.

Ms Carroll said in the past 24 hours there was one arrest and four infringement notices handed out due to people deliberately failing to comply with public health directions.

Ms Carroll said police were taking a compassionate approach with enforcing directives.

She welcomed the reduction in close contact quarantine requirements and confirmed there were seven police officers with Covid and 111 in isolation.

“I welcome that, and as you know all of my officers and double vaccinated,” she said.

Today’s update comes ahead of a snap national cabinet meeting where Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state authorities will discuss increased mask wearing, working from home and a drive to get people taking up vaccine booster shots.

The meeting was triggered by the rising threat of the Omicron variant,

Originally published as Queensland records 86 new Covid cases as quarantine rules change for fully vaccinated close contacts