Sydney woman escapes hotel quarantine in Cairns by SCALING two balconies

A woman has escaped hotel quarantine in Queensland by scaling balconies and breaking a door, as the state records one new local cases of Covid-19.

Health authorities realised the 32-year-old Sydney woman was missing from Cairns Pacific International hotel on Monday, the state Deputy Police Commissioner told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

The woman, who had been at the facility since July 1, was found later that evening and is currently in police custody.

She faces a number of criminal charges, but detectives are still investigating.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters that the new infection is linked to a known cluster. 

The 29-year-old woman is a student nurse who was a close contact of a man from Sinnamon Park who tested positive after he travelled to Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast.

She has been in quarantine since Monday but is A-symptomatic, which means health workers can’t identify the start of her infectious period. 

‘We have 49 active cases and in some more good news, we had 22,218 tests yesterday,’ Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. 

‘Remember if you have any symptoms whatsoever, please come and get tested.’ 

Queensland health officials expect more locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in coming days, but remain confident the outbreaks are under control as the number of exposure sites in the southeast grows.

More shops from two major shopping centres in Brisbane were listed as exposure sites late on Monday after positive cases attended both Indooroopilly Shopping Centre and Westfield Chermside.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk remained optimistic on Monday, highlighting the extensive work of contact tracing and the links to existing clusters.

She also took solace in less dangerous Alpha variant spreading in the community, as opposed to the highly contagious Delta strain.

But while Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young shared the premier’s optimism, she said Queensland wasn’t out of the woods yet.

‘This cluster of the Alpha variant is all coming together and we’re finding out where all the issues are,’ Dr Young said.

‘We need a bit longer to work through this, to manage all of the cases and I expect we will see a few more still come through.’

In the midst of Queensland’s latest outbreak, the government has ramped up its push for dedicated quarantine facilities in Brisbane and Toowoomba.

Ms Palaszczuk affirmed the government’s commitment to transitioning from hotels to purpose built quarantine facilities and stated Queensland was positioned for two, subject to Commonwealth approval.

The government had agreed to progress the facility at Pinkenba next to Brisbane Airport, as well as its feasibility and planning work.

‘We need the one at Toowoomba and the one at the Brisbane Airport. That is our position.’ she said.

‘We are going to keep working with the Commonwealth on both of those but we are having very productive discussions with them around the Brisbane Airport one.

‘We have a detailed plan for a facility at Wellcamp (at Toowoomba).

‘It has distinct advantages, not the least of which the planning is already done and ready to go.’

But Federal health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed on Monday the federal government would stick with one purpose built facility in Queensland.

He told reporters the Wellcamp facility was deemed an unsuitable facility.

‘Indeed, I have spoken with the local member Garth Hamilton, who has reaffirmed the strong overwhelming view of the local community against it,’ he told reporters in Melbourne.

‘We’re working very constructively with Queensland. The Pinkenba base is being considered. Queensland has stepped forward on that.’