Queensland recorded no new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Christmas Day but a second person travelling on a superyacht in the state’s north has tested positive.
The vessel arrived in Cairns from the Maldives on Monday and a female crew member in her 20s tested positive and was taken to hospital.
Now a man aged in his 30s from the same vessel tested positive on Friday, Queensland Health has confirmed.
A second recent international arrival in hotel quarantine in Brisbane has also tested positive for the virus.
This brings Queensland’s infection total to 1,240 so far, with 12 cases still active. More than 5200 people have been tested in the past 24 hours.
The superyacht case is now the centre of a police investigation. Some 14 guests and crew have been directed to hotel quarantine while six other crew members remain on the vessel.
Sewage tests at Wynnum, Bargara, and Bundaberg also returned positive results for COVID-19, and people in the areas with any sign of symptoms are being asked to get tested.
It comes as New South Wales recorded seven new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases on Friday, as health authorities called on the public to limit their movements over the Christmas period.
The cases, six of which were already in isolation and linked to the Northern Beaches cluster, were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday night from a record-breaking almost 70,000 tests.
The seventh case was a worker from the Northern Beaches, who caught public transport in the area.
At least 110 cases are now linked to the Northern Beaches cluster, with health authorities so far unable to determine how the international-strain of the virus entered the community.
Victoria
Meanwhile, Victoria recorded no new COVID-19 cases on Friday, marking eight straight weeks, or 56 days, without community transmission of the virus.
There were also no new cases of the virus in returned travellers in hotel quarantine in the 24 hours to Thursday night, with only 10 active cases in across the state.
21 December: Daniel Andrews apologises for Victoria’s hotel quarantine bungle
Nine are in hotel quarantine and the other is a teenage girl who contracted the virus in NSW.
More than 11,000 people were tested for the virus on Thursday.
Victoria Health is still urging residents to remain vigilant over the Christmas holiday in light of an outbreak in Sydney Northern Beaches area in NSW.
South Australia
South Australia has recorded two new COVID-19 cases in returned overseas travellers.
The woman aged in her 30s and a child recently returned to Australia and have been in a medi-hotel.
SA health authorities on Friday said the cases were old infections and neither were active.
The state has four active cases, all acquired from overseas. Since the pandemic began, it has recorded 570 cases and four deaths.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus.
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
