Queensland has reported two new locally acquired cases of coronavirus, with one case in hotel quarantine, prompting the return of restrictions and a mask mandate for major LGAs.
A female miner from the Sunshine Coast, whose case was revealed yesterday, had tested positive with the highly contagious Delta strain, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
The worker is from Bli Bli, and Ms Palaszczuk said anyone in that Sunshine Coast area should get tested if they feel sick.
Ms Palaszczuk said the next 24 to 48 hours were going to be "very crucial" to contain the Delta variant.
Mask mandate to return for some areas in Queensland
From 1am tomorrow, masks will be required in the following Queensland LGAs: Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Morton, Brisbane, Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, and Somerset.
https://twitter.com/R_DAlessandro9/status/1409289160041500675The one person per four square metre rule will also be in effect.
Only 30 people are allowed inside private homes.
Wedding numbers will also be restricted to 20.
At hospitality venues, there is no dancing or standing.
Ms Palaszczuk again pressed for federal quarantine facilities and urged people to get vaccinated.
Concern over COVID case out in community
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said one of the two positive cases was already in quarantine and not of concern.
But the other case, that of the female miner, had been out in the community for one day while infectious.
"She was with her family and they started a road trip that immediately came back," Dr Young said.
The woman had visited a "few" service stations and cafes and Queensland Health will notify people of those venues.
The worker is one of 170 FIFO workers from a NT gold mine where a positive case was detected on Saturday and who were now in Queensland.
Over 900 workers from the mine had flown interstate across Australia.
"We've got enormous risks throughout our state," Dr Young said, also highlighting the positive Virgin crew member who had taken five flights, including one to the Gold Coast and another to Brisbane.
Dr Young said 56,000 people had checked in using the QR system at Suncorp Stadium during last night's State of Origin.
Plea to cut international arrivals
Queensland will request the Commonwealth cuts back the number of international arrivals to the state, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.
"The Federal Government needs to be stricter with the exemptions they're providing to people to come here," he said.
"Hotel quarantine of international travellers is far and away our single greatest source of COVID into our country and into our communities."
Mr Miles said until the Federal Government allays those concerns, "we will seek to reduce the number of arrivals into Queensland."
Dr Young said the "unknown" COVID status and movements of the other 169 FIFO workers who had left the NT mine was of concern.
The two flights into Queensland with the Virgin flight attendant onboard had also put health officials on tenterhooks, she added.
