September 28, 2021
A COVID-19 public health alert has been issued for more locations in Brisbane following the confirmation on Tuesday morning of four new cases of community transmission of the virus.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the four new cases were:
- A man aged in his 30s who lives at Eatons Hills and works in an aviation training facility. He has no recent history of overseas or interstate travel but would have come into contact with international pilots.
- The man’s wife. Both are now in hospital. The couple’s child has so far tested negative.
- A woman who recently travelled from Dili in Timor Leste. She had three negative tests in hotel quarantine but tested positive five days after being released.
- A male truck driver who has been in the community while infectious for eight days. He stayed at three places: two hotels in Spring Hill and a boarding house in South Brisbane.
It is believed the new cases are the Delta strain of the virus but this will be confirmed by genomic testing.
Dr Young urged residents aged 12 years and over who have not yet been vaccinated to do so immediately.
“We don’t know where our next case is going to come from,” she said.
“It could come at any time.”
Dr Young said more than 1.9 million Queenslanders have received two doses of the vaccine.
“I can’t over-emphasise how critical it is to just get vaccinated,” she said.
The new cases have sparked a re-tightening of mask restrictions in the Brisbane City and Moreton council areas.
People in these areas must wear a face mask at all times when indoors (including workplaces), except:
- When alone in an office or meeting room with the door closed
- At their residence and there is no one else there except people they live with
- While eating or drinking
- Where it is unsafe to wear a mask
Visiting restrictions have also been put in place for aged care facilities, disability services and hospitals in Brisbane and Moreton Bay.
Outdoors, people must wear a face mask when unable to stay 1.5 metres away from people who are not from their own household (including outdoor workplaces), unless alone in their car or with members of their household, while eating or drinking, participating in strenuous exercise or where it is unsafe.
Anyone who has been anywhere in the Brisbane and Moreton Bay Local Government Areas must follow these same face mask requirements.
Spectators attending sports stadium events in south-east Queensland and Townsville must wear a mask at all times when entering, exiting, standing or moving about but do not have to when seated in ticketed seating or while eating or drinking.
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NSW Border Update
Following NSW Health’s announcement that stay-at-home orders have been lifted for the Tweed and Byron local government areas, Queensland Health will reinstate the non-restricted border zone rules from 1:00am on Wednesday (September 29).
This will mean Tweed and Byron Shire Council residents and Queenslanders travelling to these areas will be able to cross the border for more reasons.
For a list of permitted reasons, visit the Queensland Health website
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Truck Drivers
All truck drivers entering Queensland from another State – along with those entering on a freight pass – must be vaccinated with at least one dose under new regulations announced by the State Government.
All truck drivers and those using the freight pass must have at least one dose of a COVID vaccine by October 15 and have their second dose (or a booking) by November 15.
Freight drivers entering Queensland from anywhere will also be required to produce a negative COVID test result at the border (taken within a seven-day period) and maintain a seven-day rolling test regime while operating in the State.
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Interstate
Stay-at-home orders will be introduced for the Port Macquarie and Muswellbrook Local Government Areas from 6:00pm on Tuesday for seven days due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.
The orders for Tweed, Byron Shire and Kempsey LGAs will be lifted as scheduled at midnight on Tuesday.
There have been 54,714 locally acquired COVID-19 cases reported in NSW since the Delta outbreak began on June 16.
There are currently 1155 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 213 people in intensive care, 113 of whom require ventilation.
Seven more people were added to the death toll on Tuesday, including a man in his 40s at Dubbo who was not vaccinated.
There have been 316 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since June 16.
In Victoria, 867 new locally acquired cases were reported on Tuesday (four more than NSW) and four more deaths. A total of 27 people have died in the latest outbreak.
