Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk makes masks mandatory after new case of Delta variant

Dozens of police officers – including some working at State of Origin – have been ordered to isolate after being identified as close contacts to a Covid case.

Dozens of Queensland Police Service staff – including some working at a packed Suncorp Stadium for Sunday’s State of Origin – have been ordered to isolate after being identified as a close contact to a positive coronavirus case.

The isolation orders were sent out to 63 members of the Queensland Police Service, including sworn police officers, watch house officers, admin staff, cleaners and other civilians, after they were identified as a close contact to a Brisbane City Watchhouse worker, who returned a positive result to Covid-19 on Saturday.

The Courier-Mail understands several QPS staff working at last night’s State of Origin were sent home mid shift after receiving the isolation orders.

In a statement, the QPS said Queensland Health is working to determine if there are any further staff who were exposed to the known case, while all identified contacts have been ordered into quarantine.

“At this time Queensland Health has identified 63 members who may have been exposed to the employee,” the statement said.

“Those officers were all contacted on Sunday evening and asked to self-quarantine until a full assessment can be completed and directions issued where required.”

The Brisbane City Watchhouse remains on bypass following the positive case, police have confirmed, while Queensland Health, along with QPS are working to assess all staff and persons held in custody.

“This assessment will continue to determine if there are any further staff required to quarantine and to manage persons in custody,” the QPS statement said.

Last night’s State of Origin match was attended by 52,000 spectators.

Just hours before the sold-out match was due to kick off, ticketholders were told they must wear masks while moving around the venue.

The State of Origin crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night. Picture: Josh Woning

It came as Queensland was “on the verge” of another lockdown, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk describing the next 24 to 48 hours as critical to stop any potential spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus.

Ms Palaszczuk announced there have been three new cases of Covid in Queensland overnight, including a case of the Delta variant, with masks now mandatory for large parts of the state’s southeast.

Ms Palaszczuk said there was another case linked to the Portuguese Family Centre and a female miner on the Sunshine Coast who was positive with the Delta variant.

“This a highly infectious strain and we need to get on top of this very, very quickly,” she said.

“We’ve got to act fast.”

As of 1am tomorrow, masks will become mandatory – but Ms Palaszczuk said they want people to start wearing them now.

The 11 council areas where masks are mandatory will be Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer Valley.

Masks do not need to be worn while out exercising or while driving in the car.

FULL LIST: Queensland’s Covid restrictions back in place

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has provided an update on Queensland’s Covid cases. Picture: Liam Kidston

The new restrictions have been imposed after a Sunshine Coast miner tested positive to the Delta variant of the pandemic virus after being out in the community for a day while unknowingly infectious.

Another 169 Queensland fly-in, fly-out employees working at the same NT gold mine are being tested and have been ordered into self isolation.

Health authorities could not immediately say how far spread across the state they live.

“I assume they’re throughout the state,” Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said, adding she was concerned about the potential for unknown spread of the virus.

“That’s why we need to immediately go and put in mask wearing.”

Long testing lines at Highgate Hill. Photo: David Clark

The Premier said the next 48 hours would be crucial in Queensland about whether the state would see any spread of the Delta variant.

“This really is vital to stop the spread,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We’re going back now to the restrictions we put in place in January.”

Among a raft a stricter restrictions announced today, weddings and funerals will be capped at 100, only 20 people at a time will be allowed to dance at weddings, only 30 people will be allowed to visit homes while cafes and restaurants will go back to the 1 person per 4sq m rule and dancing will be banned at venues.

The Premier stressed that people must use the check-in app.

The mask wearing will stay in place for two weeks.

Please wear a mask outside of your home if you are in Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Somerset. pic.twitter.com/AgfSFiHyr7

— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) June 27, 2021

“I know this is not ideal for everyone but we have got to act quickly,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

When asked about the possibility of calling another lockdown, Ms Palaszczuk said: “We are on the verge but we are monitoring very, very closely over the next 24-48 hours.

“Will we see any further community outbreaks in Queensland?”

Asked about the threshold for calling another lockdown, she replied: “When we have unlinked community transmission.”

The Premier repeated concerns about the Delta variant taking hold in Queensland as it has in NSW, where Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, the state’s Central Coast and Wollongong are all in lockdown.

“You’ve seen how quickly it has escalated in NSW over a period of about 10 days,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We are going to be looking at this day by day and we will not hesitate to take action, I’ll tell you that.

“People know me, they know Dr Young, they know our team. We will keep Queenslanders safe.”

Ahead of National Cabinet this afternoon, Ms Palaszczuk said the number of international arrivals needed to be looked at.

She said the vaccine rollout would be imperative.

In the past 24 hours 6656 tests have been undertaken.

The Premier said the best thing people could do to fight the virus was to get vaccinated and she also repeated calls for regional quarantine facilities.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Liam Kidston

Ms Palaszczuk said officials were monitoring community transmission in New South Wales and warned hard borders would return if cases creep closer to the state.

“We will not hesitate to take strong action,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk admitted Queenslanders would be frustrated by the renewed restrictions.

“But this is a world pandemic and anything can happen at any time,” she said.

“We are on the verge.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the woman with the Delta variant was only out in the community for one day after contracting the virus.

She said the latest exposure sites would be released later today.

About 170 miners are being tested.

“We’ve got enormous risk throughout our state,” Dr Young said.

“We don’t know where this virus might pop up.”

Dr Young said cases linked to the NT mine and Virgin flights posed a risk to the community.

“What I’m more concerned about is the unknown – the 169 other miners we need to know where they’ve been,” she said.

Dr Young said the Sunshine Coast woman had attended some petrol stations and a few roadside cafes before testing positive to the virus.

Dr Young said people from any of the local government areas where masks were mandatory would be required to continue wearing them if they left the LGA.

She revealed 56,000 people used the Check-In Queensland application at Suncorp Stadium – 100 per cent of patrons.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland was “in a very delicate situation”.

“While we have a low number of cases in Queensland at the moment, we have a high number of risks,” Mr Miles.

He said the Queensland Government had been saying for “months and months and months now” that hotel quarantine was not working.

Mr Miles said Queensland would seek to reduce the number of international arrivals into the state.

“We wouldn’t be reducing our number of international arrivals, if we had purpose-built facilities,” he said.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath warned Queenslanders the Delta variant was highly contagious and could be spread in seconds, urging people to start wearing masks ahead of the mandate and to be vigilant about washing their hands and social distancing.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath warned retailers to use the Check-In Qld app as authorities work to contain the devastatingly-transmissible virus.

“We’re talking a matter of seconds and minutes,” she said.

“It is highly contagious and we must take this very seriously.”

It comes as South Australia slams its borders shut to all states and territories except Tasmania and Victoria, and new restrictions on gatherings are looming as the dangerous Covid Delta strain spreads like “wildfire” across the country.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier announced SA was facing its “biggest threat since our first wave” and the virus could rip through the community in “tinderbox” conditions unless new local restrictions were enforced.

Just after 3pm on Sunday, SA’s borders shut to Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and ACT as the Covid situation rapidly deteriorated.

Originally published as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk makes masks mandatory after new case of Delta variant