Health alerts have been issued for three suburbs in Queensland after people with infections visited a school, netball games and a coffee shop.
The new venues were added to the list on Monday evening, taking the number of close contacts up past 100.
Anyone who visited a Japanese language school at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School in Corinda, a sporting precinct in Graceville or Roasting Cafe in Yeronga have been told to get a test and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
Experts have urged all Queenslanders to get tested if symptoms arise.
The state’s outbreak continued to spread on Monday with 13 cases of community transmission.
Deputy Premier Steven Milles said Queensland’s lockdown would be extended until 4pm next Sunday as a result of the new cases.
Brisbane‘s Ekka would also be cancelled for a second consecutive year.
Seven of the new cases are students from Ironside State School. Another five are related to the school being household members or family contacts.
One case is linked to a confirmed case from the karate school that trains at the school.
‘For us to come out of this at the weekend, we need absolutely everyone in those LGAs to stay at home if they can,’ Mr Miles said of the extended lockdown.
‘It is absolutely critical that people only leave their homes for the four reasons. There’s too many cars on the road in Brisbane at the moment. Too many people out and about.’
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles provides the state’s Covid update on Monday morning
Mr Miles confirmed home learning would be in place from Tuesday for the rest of the week for students of Queensland’s state schools.
‘Private schools will largely also have similar arrangements.’
He said he knew cancellation of Brisbane’s agricultural show, the Ekka, would be ‘disappointing’.
‘I know that’s sad and disappointing for many, many Queenslanders who love their annual ritual, their annual trip to the Ekka,’ he said.
‘We just can’t afford to have an event like that where people travel into town and circulate in large numbers. The risk is just too great.’
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski confirmed 29 penalty infringement notices had been issued in the last 24 hours for non-compliance with public health directions.
People seen exercising in Brisbane on Monday morning as the state announced its lockdown would be extended until next Sunday, 4pm
Brisbane’s famous Ekka agricultural show was cancelled for a second consecutive year on Monday. ‘The risk is just too great,’ Deputy Premier Steven Miles said
‘Eighteen of which were people who were out of lockdown when they had no valid reason,’ he said.
‘We had another two breaches of restrictions within homes, so unauthorised party type scenario.
‘One person refusing to wear a mask when they didn’t. A couple of border breaches. Three persons disobeying a direct direction from an emergency officer, so that’s a police officer. And three breaches of public health directions.’
The Deputy Commissioner described the breaches as ‘disappointing’.
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick also announced a $260 million support package for Queensland businesses at the Monday update.
‘We’ll be opening an 2021 COVID Business Support Program,’ he said. ‘That will be $5,000 grants available to Queensland businesses – not just businesses in the locked down area.
Mr Dick said the grants would also be available to large businesses who operate in Queensland’s extensive hospitality and tourism industries.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said she still did not know how the virus had been transmitted from two overseas travellers to the family of the schoolgirl from Indooroopilly State High School who tested positive last Friday.
Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young said she still did not know how the virus had been transmitted from two overseas travellers to the family of an Indooroopilly State High School student
Police talk to a woman not wearing a mask as they check for compliance with lockdown orders in central Brisbane on Monday. Queensland police issued 29 penalty infringement notices on Sunday for breaches of Covid lockdown restrictions
Police check a member of the public for compliance with lockdown orders in central Brisbane on Monday morning
‘All I know is that we had two people arrive from overseas into the Brisbane International Airport on June 29, and subsequently, those two people were found to have the Delta variant with a particular whole genome sequence.
‘Now this outbreak, 29 additional people later, are all clustering with those two.
‘But I don’t know how it’s got from those two original people to this household of five who are the first people that I’ve found in the cluster.’
Dr Young said the spread of the Delta strain through schools was of the greatest concern and motivated extension of the lockdown for another five days.
‘We know Delta is much more likely to spread amongst younger people,; she said. ‘And although they’re less likely to do particularly badly if they get infected, they’re less likely to die – they are more likely to transmit to other people.’
Walkers seen in Brisbane’s CBD on Sunday as south-east Queensland began it’s first day of a snap three-day lockdown. Experts expect the lockdown to be extended as cases continue to grow in the state
People queue up for a Covid-19 test in Brisbane, Queensland on Monday morning
Mr Miles said 21,806 Covid tests were conducted on Sunday after he’d expressed disappointment about the number conducted on Saturday.
‘I set the goal of doubling our numbers into the 20,000s and the chief health officer set the goal of double that again into the 40,000s and we would certainly hope that we can start to get close to those kinds of numbers on a Monday with more of those clinics open.’
He confirmed some Brisbane hospitals were rescheduling some Category 2 and 3 elective surgeries, and specialist outpatient appointments, in order to provide care for Covid patents and with some health workers staying home.
‘They will be determining the level of critical services that can be supported with their workforce and are making assessments about less urgent activity,’ he said
