Caution comes first
Don’t risk innocent lives: Miles to protesters
QUEENSLAND’S Deputy Premier has made an impassioned plea to protesters planning on demonstrating this weekend, saying it’s “selfish” behaviour that puts the lives of innocent people at risk.
It comes as the state confirmed there had been no new COVID-19 cases in the latest 24-hour recording period. The next few days are expected to be an anxious wait for residents of Queensland aged-care facilities that have been in lockdown since last week.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she hoped to decide on Monday whether that could be reversed.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said protesters planning on blocking off Brisbane’s Story Bridge on Saturday jeopardised that.
“It’s been more than a week since those young women came in from Melbourne, but the stakes remain high this weekend,” he said.
“In the coming days, we will need to see some level of satisfaction and comfort that there hasn’t been additional community transmission caused by those cases. Any breach of the Chief Health Officer’s direction could put all Queenslanders at risk … we are not out of the woods yet.”
Mr Miles said he appreciated that there was concern about the treatment of refugees, but implored protesters to take that up with the Federal Government, and keep innocent people out of it. “If there are no recorded cases of community transmission over the coming days, hopefully next week we can lift restrictions of people visiting their loved ones in aged-care facilities,” he said.
Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said a “very large” police operation was planned for Saturday.