NRL decision still looming
A DECISION to move the NRL grand final to Townsville is not expected until Thursday afternoon at the earliest.
The NRL and the Queensland government began discussions about the move on Tuesday after four new Covid-19 cases cropped up in Brisbane, sparking concerns the region could be in lockdown for the grand final.
Townsville has been earmarked as the back-up location for the grand final, however it is understood 50 per cent capacity at Suncorp
Stadium is preferred to 100 per cent capacity in the North.
The NRL would need three days to shift the game to North Queensland, with an official decision expected late Thursday.
A lockdown would likely trigger the move to Townsville.
While Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate suggested the Gold Coast as a prime location for the finals, the region could soon be considered a hotspot.
A fully vaccinated man in his 50s who lives in Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast, is one of the state’s newest locally acquired case.
He is a close contact of the aviation training worker who tested positive on Monday night and had been infectious while out on the Gold Coast.
The second case was not officially recorded in Wednesday’s numbers because he tested positive in New South Wales.
The truck driver, who lives in Gaven, tested positive while driving between Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the truck driver had stopped at a lot of communities on his route.
“That is why I’m asking everyone on the Gold Coast to immediately come forward (if they have) any symptoms at all, to make sure they get vaccinated … and to wear masks and just be alert,” she said.
Of the four people who tested positive on Wednesday, a truck driver who stayed at multiple Brisbane accommodation facilities was the most concern. However, no close contacts of the man have tested positive yet.
Dr Young was not “comfortable” with the situation in the southeast and said she was “watching this very, very carefully”.