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Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says “one case of Delta means we need a lockdown”.Credit:Matt Dennien

Dr Young’s comments came as uncertainty around another snap lockdown had businesses worried,however they were also open to health experts’ concerns about the threat posed by growing COVID case numbers in NSW.

Queensland reported no new local cases of the virus on Wednesday from 15,000 tests,with more than 2400 people still in home quarantine after recently quelled clusters in Brisbane and Cairns.

One case was detected in hotel quarantine and another three on an LNG tanker.

Speaking after NSWreported a record 633 cases– the majority not confirmed to have been in isolation– Dr Young said the roughly 4000 essential workers still crossing the heavily populated southern border was too many,given the spread beyond Sydney.

Former chief health officer and emergency medicine expert Gerard FitzGerald,now based at Queensland University of Technology,said returning to lockdown on the back of one case of Delta until vaccination rates hit 70 per cent would be sensible,given the clusters that have been seeded from NSW to Melbourne,the ACTand New Zealand.

Professor FitzGerald said vaccination coverage would continue to be a real concern until national cabinet’s first target was met.

The proportion of Queenslanders who have had one dose is less than every state except Western Australia,and children are still ineligible to get vaccinated,despite increased infection rates among the young amid the latest outbreaks.

This meant Dr Young’s decision tokeep south-east Queensland density restrictions and slightly eased mask requirementsin place for another week was prudent,Professor FitzGerald said.

The restrictions were extended to give public service chiefs and health authorities more time to whittle down the list of those needing to cross the NSW border,and to ensure they have had at least one dose.

“It’s just messy ... I can’t see NSW getting out of it,so NSW is facing lockdown for three months until they get vaccination levels up now,” Professor FitzGerald said. “We’re facing a bit of a torrid three months until we can get to that level.”

Speaking from Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek Hotel after the daily update from Queensland authorities,the largely outdoor venue’s general manager,Lance Burrows,said it was luckier than most with density requirements,but was still hit by the difficulty of snap lockdowns.

“But one[case] could be 10,” he said.

Amanda Rohan,the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland’s policy and advocacy general manager,said businesses were desperate for nationally agreed clarity and certainty around lockdown and restriction decisions.

“Without this certainty ... the impacts snap lockdowns have on business confidence will continue to claim casualties in the form of small business closures,” she said in a statement.

LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said Queensland was still at the “back of the pack” when it came to vaccination levels,andhe called on the Palaszczuk government to set clear goals for life beyond a point where 80 per cent of the state was fully vaccinated.

“If you set Queenslanders a challenge,they will rise to it,” he said.

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