Queensland pushes to close loophole after COVID arrival gets to go home
Queensland has flagged a push for tightened border loopholes after a returned overseas consulate staffer flew into the Sunshine Coast via Sydney, then drove to his home in Toowoomba to quarantine.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would raise the exemptions - which meant he did not need to enter the mandatory hotel system - at the next meeting of national cabinet.
"I don't think the time is right now for those exemptions," she told reporters in Brisbane.
"I don't think we need any elements of risk at the moment when we are dealing with this global pandemic, and if we can close off any of those loopholes, it will keep everyone safe."
Ms Palaszczuk said Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young would raise the issue with the country's other chief health officers at a meeting on Monday.
Queensland recorded no new cases of the coronavirus overnight, with 12 remaining active from a total of 1085.
Health authorities are trying to trace the 14 people who travelled on the flight from Sydney with the consular staffer. His wife is also being quarantined.
Almost 7500 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours after record testing levels at the weekend, sparked by the rapid health response to two COVID-positive women who spent eight days travelling across Brisbane's south while unwell following an allegedly undeclared trip to Melbourne.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said there had been a "slight increase" in the turnaround times for tests, which would be worked through on Monday.
He added that the lack of community transmission was exactly what he had hoped for across the weekend, with just 10 of the 2000 contacts of the women yet to be tracked down.
All 105 residents of the Bolton Clark aged-care centre at Pinjarra Hills have now returned negative tests after a staff member and his partner were confirmed to have the virus at the weekend. The couple had dined at the same restaurant as the women at the centre of the health scare.
But Dr Young warned that despite the "fantastic" news and only three new cases linked to the women — including the sister of one of them — the next week remained "critical".
"We can still expect to see some ongoing cases, so please, everyone needs to be very careful," she said.
"If they develop any symptoms at all, they should come forward and get tested and isolate themselves until they get the result of that test."