Queensland's Covid outbreak continues to spread as infected woman catches a Qantas flight to major town 640km from Brisbane
- A contractor tested positive to Covid-19 after flying too and from Brisbane
- Everyone from the work site has been put into isolation for 14 days
- She tested positive on July 31, but it is believed she was infectious from July 28
Queensland's Covid-19 outbreak has continued to spread after an infected contractor made a return trip to Rockhampton on a Qantas flight - as part of the state is plunged into a three-day lockdown.
The woman was working on the Rookwood Weir when she flew to the regional town for work at 8.30am Wednesday and returned to Brisbane at 6.40pm on Friday.
She tested positive on July 31, but it is believed she was infectious from July 28 and was included among the Sunshine State's none local cases announced on Sunday.
The case means the Sunshine State's outbreak has spread beyond Brisbane in the south-east.
Pictured: Passengers from a Qantas flight arriving into Sydney Airport from Brisbane, Queensland on July 29
People who were QF2362 at 8.30am on July 28 and QF2365 at 6.40pm on 30 July are being contacted by authorities (pictured: a Qantas flight at Brisbane Airport)
'Work on site has stopped and workers have been isolated to their rooms for 14 days of quarantine,' Queensland Health said in a statement.
'Other workers from the Rookwood project who have left the site have also been contacted and told to isolate for 14 days.'
Other workers who have been at the site have been contacted and told to isolate.
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Authorities are also contacting people who were on QF2362 at 8.30am on July 28 and QF2365 at 6.40pm on 30 July.
Rockhampton’s Central Queensland University fever clinic has extended its testing hours.
Queensland's nine new cases on Sunday represented the highest number in almost a year.
Pictured: People at a Covid testing centre at Covid Testing Centre at Indooroopilly High School Brisbane
There are more than 80 exposure sites linked to the outbreak, with about 20 new sites of concern listed on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said implored more Queenslanders to seek virus testing, with fewer than 12,000 tests conducted on Saturday.
Authorities hope to see at least 40,000 daily tests.
The local government areas of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim entered the lockdown on Saturday afternoon - which has harshest virus restrictions the Sunshine State has seen.
Residents in affected areas can only leave home for essential work, study or child care, to exercise, buy food and supplies, and receive health care, including being tested for COVID-19 or vaccinated.
Non-essential travel must be within 10 kilometres of residences and everyone must wear a mask when outside their home.
All schools in the lockdown zone will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, while all staff and students of Indooroopilly High School and Ironside State School are in quarantine for two weeks.
Other schools affected by the outbreak include St Peters Lutheran College, Brisbane Girls Grammar School and Brisbane Boys Grammar School.
Pictured: A passenger from a Qantas flight arriving into Sydney Airport from Brisbane, Queensland on July 29
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said: 'The purpose of the lockdown is to stop the virus spreading.'
'So it is to have everyone in their homes, as we find people, we find them in their homes, and they will have minimal exposure out in the community.'
The lockdown is set to end on Tuesday though experts believe it will almost certainly be extended after six cases on Saturday and nine on Sunday.
Dr Young admitted restrictions would only be rolled back when case numbers were down and all of the cases were not out in the community while infectious.
'The threshold is that I'm confident that all the cases that potentially have been exposed are safely in quarantine and are unlikely to end up having been infectious out in the community so unlikely to have been out there spreading,' she said.
