Two more cases in Qld, but Premier won’t be drawn on lockdown plans
Queensland is well ahead of its vaccine targets, meaning its borders are likely to open early.
A woman who checks-in passengers and international flight crew at Brisbane Airport is one of two new local COVID cases in Queensland.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also confirmed another local case in Queensland on Thursday.
It is linked to the outbreak at the Portuguese Family Centre, and the person was already in isolation.
The new community infections were detected on another day of recording virus testing in Queensland, as well as record vaccinations.
Ms Palaszczuk said it was encouraging news for Queenslanders hoping lockdown will end at 6pm on Friday.
“We’ve still got another 24 hours to go to see what happens over the next 24 hours, and we’ll update you tomorrow in relation to whether or not we can leave that lockdown,” she said.
“But like I said, it is very very encouraging us, at this stage.”
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the 37-year-old airport worker was thought to be infectious from last Friday. Preliminary exposure sites include:
- Officeworks, North Lakes, June 25
- Coles supermarket, Murrumba Downs, June 27
- Anytime Fitness, Griffith
- Menzies Aviation (the woman’s employer)
“We do know that international flight crew are high risk,” Dr Young said.
“They don’t stay here for 14 days after they arrive – they fly in and fly out so we don’t always know which of them are positive, which is why I really and truly insist people must wear masks at the international airport and at our domestic airports. That is really critical.”
Queensland had three community cases on Wednesday, also linked to existing clusters.
The state’s partial lockdown – which covers residents of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, the Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, the Gold Coast, Townsville, Magnetic Island and nearby Palm Island – is due to end on Friday night.
On Thursday, there were no new cases linked to the clerical worker from Brisbane’s Prince Charles Hospital, who contracted the Delta strain of the virus while working without being vaccinated. Her brother was one of Wednesday’s three infections.
