ABC Gold Coast: Tom Forces
)Mayor Tom Tate has urged interstate tourists to "take a punt and book" an Easter holiday to the Gold Coast after only two cases of community transmission in Queensland were announced today.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the numbers were "very encouraging" considering 33,408 tests have been conducted in the past 24 hours.
Both cases — a nurse and her housemate — have been linked to an existing cluster at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital.
It has prompted hopes from members of the Gold Coast's tourism industry that Greater Brisbane's snap three-day lockdown could end at 5pm Thursday, giving operators a chance to salvage the Easter long weekend.
Cr Tom Tate said interstate tourists should "take a punt and book" an airline ticket to the Gold Coast.
"That's what I would do," he said.
Caution urged with no lockdown guarantee
Premier Palaszczuk had earlier urged caution and said, "I can't help people who have flights coming in on Thursday".
"We have declared Greater Brisbane a hotspot, the Commonwealth has declared Greater Brisbane a hotspot, and other states and territories have done the same," she said.
ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale
)The Premier is expected to make an announcement on the Greater Brisbane lockdown on Thursday morning.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the state government must make a decision "as quickly and as clearly" as possible.
"People are clinging on," he said.
"There will be businesses making decisions about whether to take the arrival of fresh produce and they will need to make that decision tomorrow morning."But Cr Tate said uncertainty has hurt business ahead of the Easter period, and reiterated calls for
"Federal government and states should really look at somehow, additional compensation for tourism," he said.
'We really need you'
Destination Gold Coast chief executive Patricia O'Callaghan said today's case figures were encouraging but it was too early to celebrate.
"There's another day of information to come," she said.
"But don't cancel on us now, don't quit on us.
The Gold Coast's $5.9 billion tourism industry has lost $3 billion during the pandemic, according to Destination Gold Coast.
ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale
)"The industry supports one in six jobs here so there are a number of people relying on you," Ms O'Callaghan said.
She said there is a lack of confidence in the market but that "we aren't seeing mass cancellations in terms of airfares".
"The Brisbane market has definitely been impacted and they are a major market," she said.
targeted financial assistance.
Gold Coast residents undeterred by long queues
Gold Coast University Hospital has administered 13,456 vaccines so far, with 803 conducted on Tuesday.
Of the 17 cases associated with the PA Hospital clusters, two are in Gold Coast University Hospital.
Gold Coast Health has been contacted for comment.
ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale
)But long lines have been seen at the Gold Coast's testing clinics, with some waiting hours this week.
Jesse Crouch was one of hundreds who waited in line at a testing clinic in Robina on Tuesday, after a work colleague, who later tested negative, fell ill.
He went home due to poor weather, before returning on Wednesday morning.
"I think everyone is frustrated," he said.
"I don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but I assume being fellow humans, they're trying to do everything they can to make it as easy as possible."
If lockdown does end … brace for traffic
The RACQ has warned that if Greater Brisbane's lockdown does end at 5pm on Thursday, it could cause significant congestion on the M1.
"Any travel on the M1 is usually on Easter time — one of the worst times to travel with everyone trying to get away for the extra long weekend," RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritche said.
While she said Greater Brisbane's lockdown was a "watch and see scenario", if lockdown did lift at 5pm, "it means there will be more people leaving at the exact same time".
"Sadly it just means that there is going to be bad traffic on the weekend."
