Queensland authorities have pleaded for a higher COVID-19 testing turnout after the state recorded nine new locally acquired cases of the disease, all linked to the "rapidly escalating" cluster centred around Brisbane schools.
There are now 18 cases of the highly infectious Delta variant in an outbreak that was first detected in an Indooroopilly State High School on Thursday night.
It comes as millions of residents remain under strict stay-at-home orders on the first day of a snap three-day lockdown across 11 local government areas in the state's south-east.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said four of the new cases were linked to a karate school at Ironside State School in Brisbane's south-west, which was attended by one of the cases that was reported yesterday.
"That karate school is held at Ironside State School but is attended by children, other schools and their parents," he said.
"One of the new cases from the karate school is a student from Brisbane Boys' Grammar [Brisbane Grammar School].
"There is one case which is a household contact, a father of the boy at Brisbane Boys' Grammar.
"There are two cases linked to Indooroopilly State High School and two cases linked to Ironside State School."
On Sunday evening Queensland Health revealed a Brisbane woman made a return trip to Rockhampton while infectious with COVID-19.
The woman flew to Rockhampton for work at the Rookwood Weir project west of the central Queensland city, at 8:30am on July 28 on Qantas flight QF2362 and returned to Brisbane at 6:40pm on July 30 on Qantas flight QF2365.
Mr Miles said the nine new cases was the highest number of new community cases Queensland has had in almost a year.
"The last time we were at this level was August 2020," he said.
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00:00 Queensland COVID-19 latest news
00:30 Exposure sites multiply across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast
03:07 Brisbane woman who flew to Rockhampton tests positive to COVID-19
04:36 SE Qld families prepare for home learning from Tuesday
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