2 January 2021
Queensland’s border restrictions remain unchanged but the Chief Health Officer continues to monitor cases very closely.
She has once again urged Queenslanders to reconsider travel to NSW and Victoria.
Dr Jeannette Young said cases have increased overnight in Victoria, including in regional areas.
“While we are not announcing hotspots in Victoria at this stage, I am very concerned how the situation is escalating,” she said.
“Victoria’s own assessment of the situation is that the risk of spread is right across the state, not just in Melbourne, which is why they have imposed restrictions across their entire state.
“This is very serious and we’re taking this action now, like we did with New South Wales – this will ensure we know of any positive cases really early and we can manage our response accordingly.
Anyone currently in Queensland who has been in Victoria on or since 21 December should get tested immediately and quarantine at home or their accommodation until they receive a negative result.
“We already have one close contact of a Victorian case, in the Mackay region, and one casual contact on the Gold Coast – and I anticipate more to come.”
Dr Young said she was receiving regular updates from her counterparts in New South Wales and Victoria regarding their cases, in addition to attending daily AHPPC meetings.
“Those states are working very hard to contain community transmission, but they are still in a critical stage of their response so we need to keep watching closely,” she said.
“Things can change quickly really quickly with this virus – we’ve seen that in other jurisdictions, which is why I continue to advise Queenslanders to reconsider their need to travel to New South Wales or Victoria.
“If you do decide to go, you need to be aware of the potential consequences, such as border changes and not making it home to Queensland before hotel quarantine is imposed.
“And if you’re already in Victoria or New South Wales, consider coming home.”
Dr Young said we’ll continue to monitor the outbreak in Greater Sydney.
”As we’ve said before, the earliest we will review our current border restriction for Greater Sydney is 8 January – 28 days since the first community transmission case was detected – which is sensible as this timing aligns with New South Wales’ plan to review some of their local restrictions,” she said.
“Queenslanders are still doing a brilliant job at following our advice, but it’s critically important that anyone who has symptoms gets tested, isolates until they receive their result and stays home if unwell.
“When you’re out and about you need to continue to socially distance from others, wash your hands regularly, and provide your contact details to venues.”
One new case is being reported in Queensland today, a returning overseas traveller detected while in hospital quarantine.
Dr Young said the male aged between 0 and 9 years old had recently travelled from Pakistan.
“This child was already in hospital after being admitted with a family member who had recently tested positive while in hotel quarantine,” she said.
This case brings Queensland’s total COVID-19 cases to 1,255,of which 13 are active. One historical case was added to today’s total which is no longer considered to be infectious.
The state recorded 3,360 tests in the last 24 hours.
To access a full list of COVID-19 testing locations, with interactive map and post code search, visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/stay-informed/testing-and-fever-clinics.
ENDS