Lockdowns in most local government areas in Queensland have lifted, despite four new cases of local transmission being reported in the state's south-east corner on Friday.
The snap lockdown ended as planned at 6pm for everyone except people in Brisbane and Moreton Bay, who are set to remain locked down until at least 6pm Saturday.
Residents on the Sunshine Coast are among those who have regained their freedom, despite news late on Friday of a fourth case emerging there - a university campus worker who was potentially infectious for two days before the lockdown began on Tuesday evening.
The state's chief health officer, Dr Jeanette Young, said she was confident in lifting stay-at-home orders on the coast given the limited amount of time the man spent in the community.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaking on Friday morning. Source: AAP
Despite this, anyone who develops the slightest of symptoms in the Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Sippy Downs or Maroochydore areas is being asked to immediately report for testing.
The man works at the Sippy Downs campus of the University of the Sunshine Coast, and was there on 28 and 29 June, before the lockdown began.
Dr Young said he had minimal contact with others, and she has decided not to list the university as a contact tracing site.
"As we've seen time and time again, the situation is fast-moving, and we will continue to keep the community updated as soon as possible if we need to change our approach," she said on Friday.
While lockdowns ended for residents of the Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Townsville areas on Friday, people will need to wear a mask outside their homes for the next two weeks.
Three new local COVID-19 cases were reported earlier on Friday, including the partner of a woman who worked at the Qatar Airlines counter at Brisbane airport.
The other two cases are a mother and daughter who the premier said had been "out quite extensively around Brisbane".
Speaking on Friday morning Ms Palaszczuk said the state's contact tracers needed more time to investigate the three new infections before lockdowns could be lifted in Brisbane and Moreton Bay.
"We will come back early tomorrow morning, once our contact tracers get on top of this and we will look at the case numbers overnight," she said.
Dr Young said she was confident it was safe to lift lockdown outside Brisbane due to the low cases numbers after tens of thousands of tests.
"With that amount of testing I can be reasonably comfortable that we are unlikely to have a significant chain of transmission going on," she said.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles repeated calls for the federal government to cut international arrival caps, warning Queensland could have to open up a new quarantine hotel as facilities were set to hit capacity on Friday.
He said the state has 285 available rooms, but it was expecting 259 international arrivals during the day and an unknown number of domestic arrivals.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young on Friday morning. Source: AAP
Ms Palaszczuk also said every eligible Australian should be offered a vaccine of their choice before international borders are reopened.
"You think about it, if for example members of your family had not had that offer of the vaccine, and the virus came in, and they ended up on ventilator, you wouldn't forgive yourself," she said.
"So I think every eligible Australian should have the opportunity to have been offered a vaccine."
With AAP.
