Queensland downplays Covid outbreak risk from unmasked fans at packed NRL grand final – as ‘bloody lucky’ state records one new Delta case
- One new community case is a woman from Brisbane’s north side
- She was infectious in the community for 10 days, unlinked to earlier cases
- Deputy Premier Steve Miles downplayed the issue of mask-wearing at NRL GF
Queensland announced one new community case of Covid-19, a woman who was infectious for 10 days, as a leading epidemiologist said the state had been ‘bloody lucky’ to avoid a bigger outbreak.
Deputy Premier Steve Miles said the new case, a woman from Fitzgibbon on Brisbane’s north side, had been infectious in the community since September 23.
Her infection is not linked to earlier case. The woman in her 50s was double vaccinated and all members of her household have so far tested negative.
Genome sequencing is awaited to determine how she contracted the virus.
‘At this stage, there are no close links that we’ve been able to identify. She hasn’t been to any known exposure sites,’ chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
The requirement to wear masks while seated at the NRL Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane appeared to be disregarded by many in the crowd
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced one new community case of Covid-19 in the state on Monday
Mr Miles downplayed reports many people in the crowd at the NRL Grand Final failed to wear masks as directed.
He said he had attended a pop-up vaccination clinic at the game and observed most people wearing masks in line with public health orders.
‘Compliance with mask wearing in and out of the stadium until people got to their seats was very high,’ Mr Miles said.
‘Obviously once people sat down and had beers and food, they took them on and off.’
‘While they were moving around they were by and large wearing their masks and that’s when the risk is greatest,’
‘There’s a lot of was to see downsides in all of this but the way Brisbane and Suncorp hosted the game, there are lots of good things to take out yesterday.
Mr Miles said he thought compliance with mask wearing at the NRL Grand Final was ‘very high’
Some further restrictions on the NSW-Queensland border were implemented as a result of Lismore in northern NSW being declared a hotspot.
‘People should only be going into northern NSW for those very few essential reasons,’ Dr Young said.
‘I would prefer people limit their movement [into that area] until NSW brings those cases under control.’
Meanwhile, leading Melbourne University epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely said Queensland had been fortunate to avoid a large outbreak of the Delta variant.
‘[Queensland] has been bloody lucky, to be blunt,’ Professor Blakely said.
‘They have dodged a few bullets. It is true that they have had good compliance, but there is a lot of luck with this virus.’
‘Sometimes a person can spread to 20 and sometimes 10 people can spread it to no one. Queensland has had some luck there.’