The lockdown of 11 Local Government Areas in Queensland's south-east will ease as scheduled at 4pm today after the state recorded nine new cases of locally-acquired COVID-19.
Seven of the new cases are linked to the original cluster. One is a new case located on the Gold Coast and the remaining case is a taxi driver in Cairns.
As a result, Cairns will be plunged into a snap three-day lockdown from this afternoon.
READ MORE: Victoria records 11 new COVID-19 cases, none of whom were in isolation while infectious
The lockdown for the remaining 11 LGAs in Queensland's south-east will be lifted at 4pm today but some restrictions will remain for 14 days.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk praised residents across the state on her first day back on the job after home quarantine.
"Queensland has done a mighty job, especially those 11 LGA 's that have been in this lockdown situation," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"The lockdown will end in those 11 LGAs, but some restrictions must stay in place for the next two weeks…we are not out of the woods."
For the next two weeks all high school students and staff will be required to wear masks on while on premises.
Up to 10 guests in the home will be allowed, and residents can now visit loved ones in aged care.
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Businesses must now operate with the one person per four metre square rule.
Wedding and funerals will be allowed to go ahead with a maximum capacity of 20 people, but community sport will still be barred for the next two weeks.
Stadiums and allocated seating ticketed events only be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Ms Palaszczuk said masks will remain mandatory.
"If you are out walking by yourself or with your household you do not need to wear it, but as all other times you do," she said.
"When you are in the workplace. When you are going to cafes and restaurants, except if you are seated."
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said the announcement is an "excellent result".
"An excellent result for South East Queensland, one that I truly wasn't expecting," she said.
"It is a fantastic response, to see eight days in, after we had those very large numbers of early cases, to see it under control so beautifully."
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Dr Young said that one of the state's new cases – a person from the gold coast – may be a false-positive or historic case.
"One member of that family came forward and got tested and got a positive result, but with a very high CT value, meaning not a lot of virus," she said.
"So we repeated it, and it was negative, and we repeated it again, and it was negative. We have tested everyone else and the family multiple times… and all of that is negative.
"But we do have that positive result, so it is really, really important today that anybody down in the Gold Coast with any symptoms at all, please come forward and get tested."
Dr Young repeated her plea for people to come forward for vaccinations.
"Please, could people get vaccinated," she said.
"We have reached the one million mark in Queensland, in terms of the number of vaccines that Queensland Health has distributed, and 2.5 million across the state from GPs who are doing the most brilliant job, but I need more."
Although there were seven people in isolation while infectious, Dr Young highlighted the fact that there are more and more school aged children testing positive.
"The interesting thing though is we are seeing more students still become positive, and that shows that although Delta spreads more quickly, it still has the longer incubation period," she said.
"That is why it's so critical that these 11,000 people don't think, 'Oh, well, I'm coming towards the end of my incubation period. Then it is no longer a worry'.
"It is. It is absolutely critical that all of these people just remain in home quarantine until they complete the 14 days."
READ MORE: Police find woman who allegedly escaped Gold Coast hotel quarantine
https://twitter.com/qldhealthnews/status/1424162275062022149
Cairns plunged into three-day lockdown
Ms Palaszczuk said that due to the discovery of another case in Cairns – a taxi driver who was infectious in the community for 10 days – the region will now head into a three-day lockdown.
"This discovery of a positive case in Cairns is something that we were not expecting, and we really need the residence of Cairns to come forward with any symptoms and get tested," she said.
"For the next three days, Cairns and Yarrabah will go into a lockdown. It is essentially a lockdown that the 11 LGAs went to, but they will be allowed to have up to two visitors to come and visit their homes.
"We need more testing in Cairns. I am very concerned. Dr Young is very concerned. We need to get on top of this very, very quickly."
Ms Palaszczuk said she will shortly be speaking with the prime minister and is hoping to have Cairns classified as a hotspot.
She said she has already has discussions with the the state's treasurer to release disaster funding.
Hotel quarantine escapee found and arrested
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said that more than 100 fines were handed down in the last day for non compliance with health orders, and two were arrested, including a woman who escaped hotel quarantine.
"We did issue 119 penalty infringement notices across the board yesterday, most of which, 106, related to people not abiding by the lockdown requirements," he said.
"Two arrests, one including the young woman who escaped from hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast.
"She was located in Caboolture with the assistance of the community there, we thanked them for that, they identified her and kept track of her so that we were able to taken into custody.
"She will remain in our custody until she completes her quarantine. And she will face other serious charges before the court."