QUEENSLAND AVOIDING LOCKDOWN FOR NOW
QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland will avoid a lockdown, for now, but strict restrictions have been put in place, and the NRL grand final capacity will be cut by 25 per cent after six new cases were confirmed, including one in Townsville.
Four of the cases are linked to the aviation cluster including one pilot who flew to Townsville with reports that a man was transported from the Hotel Chancellor to Townsville Hospital on Wednesday night.
He subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 and has been infectious in the community for seven days.
One of the two unlinked cases is a Brisbane woman who travelled to NSW and tested positive after returning.
The sixth case is a woman who returned home to Queensland from Melbourne, flying on flight VA333. She went into hotel quarantine and tested positive to the Delta variant.
Ms Palaszczuk denied she was delaying a lockdown so the NRL grand final could go ahead on Sunday.
“The health of Queenslanders comes first, as soon as Dr Young says we need to go into lockdown, we will,” she said, adding she was “not too concerned”, despite the new cases, but announced a number of strict restrictions would be back in place.
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Moreton Bay, Townsville and Palm Island will return to stage two restrictions for at least two weeks from 4pm Friday.
It means the number of people allowed to gather in homes and public will be reduced to 30.
Weddings and funerals will be capped at 100 attendees. Only 20 will be allowed to dance at weddings.
Restaurants and cafes will return to one person per 4sqm.