Sombre Covid warning

QUEENSLAND’S active number of Covid-19 cases has jumped by 61 per cent, with the chief health officer warning waves of the virus could continue “for years”.

The state raised its alert level to amber on Thursday as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared it was entering a new wave of coronavirus.

Chief health officer John Gerrard on Friday said there were 7130 active cases reported – up from the 4438 reported a week ago.

But he reiterated lockdowns, travel bans and border closures were not on the cards.

“The number of active cases continue to increase significantly,” Dr Gerrard said.

“I don’t think this should disrupt anyone’s travel or Christmas plans. The only thing I would say is if you are sick at Christmas time, perhaps don’t go to celebrations with your grandmother.”

The sunshine state recently introduced a new “traffic light” system to assess the risk level posed by Covid-19.

Under the new “amber” tier, health authorities recommend people wear masks in health care settings, on public transport, indoors if they cannot socially distance, if they are older or medically at risk and if they are around people vulnerable to Covid-19.

People are urged to take a RAT every two days if someone in their home has the virus.

Dr Gerrard said Queensland’s current wave was expected to peak in the next three to six weeks – potentially as late as the week before Christmas.

No particular strain of the virus is prevalent in the community, but the XBB and BQ1 sub-variants are of particular note, he said.

“This pattern of waves of Covid-19 will likely continue for months or even years.”

Queensland health authorities reported 5828 new cases between November 3-9, 202 people were hospitalised and 15 died in the same time period.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s upgrade of the current emergency status to amber and announcing that we are facing another Covid19 wave in the past would have been enough to send a shudder across the Gold Coast.

You can almost hear the cries from Coomera to Coolangatta – “Oh no, here we go again...”

And you can’t blame people, the declaration of Covid waves in the past have come with the dreaded lockdowns, which brought the Gold Coast to a grinding halt.

Only now are we really seeing key economic drivers for this city, such as tourism, starting to recover after the pandemic took hold.

But along with the recovery of key industries, the Gold Coast also now has an incredible resilience when it comes to living with Covid.

This is not a city that fears this virus, but one that now knows the challenges it presents and how to move forward.

People accept that we simply have to get on with the job of being the Gold Coast.

And these are different times.

The state knows we can never go back to such hard measures that impact people emotionally and economically.

The Premier’s change-up of the Covid situation very much fits into the realm of be alert, not alarmed – as she put it.

Yes Covid is still around, look within your own circle of family and friends and you will find someone who is battling the virus at the moment.

But we are far better equipped to deal with another wave as a community.

The important thing is that people do heed the warning that the virus is still about and take the steps to make sure we limit its ability to disrupt our day to day lives.