One new case in QLD ahead of border closure to Sydneysiders

Queensland authorities have reported one new case of COVID-19 linked to the Korean restaurant Madtongsan IV in Sunnybank, which was among the venues attended by two 19-year-old women who ignored health directives after returning home from Melbourne. 

The new COVID-19 case is a 27-year-old man from Bellbird Park who is believed to be a relative of one of the cases who attended the Sunnybank restaurant on 23 July.

One of his relatives who may be the source of the infection works at Bolton Clarke Aged Care Facility in Pinjarra Hills.

"It's very important that if anyone else was at that Korean restaurant...if you have any concerns, if you are feeling the slightest bit unwell, you must go and get tested," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told a press conference this morning.

"We still have 11 active cases, and I can confirm in the last 24 hours we have had 9,076 tests that have been conducted."

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said 1,500 contacts have now been traced to three recent cases, underlying how important it is for restaurants to keep records of their patrons.

"They allow us to contact people quickly who may have been exposed to the disease," he said.

"It also underlines how important it is that everybody checks that list of places where we think people who have been infected has been.

Premier Palaszczuk reiterated a previous announcement that from 1am tomorrow Greater Sydney will be considered a COVID-19 hotspot. This means people coming to Queensland who have been in that area within 14 days will be turned away, unless they are Queensland residents in which case they must enter hotel quarantine at their own expense.

"There will be delays at the border so think about your travel plans, and think about where you need to go and think about the timing of those journeys," she said.

"I'm not making any apologies for those delays because our police have a very important job to do."

A total of 34 local government areas (LGAs) in Sydney will be considered hotspots, adding 31 LGAs to the existing hotspots Liverpool City, Fairfield City and Campbelltown City, as well as the whole state of Victoria.

Anyone entering Queensland is required to complete a border declaration pass which is valid for seven days, and providing false information or entering Queensland unlawfully could result in a $4,003 fine.

"Today is the day that Queenslanders who are currently in Sydney and who would like to return without going into quarantine must return," added Deputy Premier Miles.

Photo: Google Maps

Updated at 10:39am AEST on 31 July 2020.