Delta outbreak prompts Queensland into snap three-day lockdown yesterday as NSW records more cases

The fear of a deadly Delta outbreak prompted Queensland into a snap three-day lockdown yesterday, as NSW’s death toll rose, Sydney was locked down against protesters – and WA recorded no new COVID cases at all.

Six new locally acquired cases, linked to a high school student, forced Queensland to lock down large slabs of the State – throwing major sporting fixtures into chaos and sparking panic buying in swathes of shops.

But Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said “we have to go hard and we have to go fast”.

“It is our intention that this is a short lockdown and that we can deal with this outbreak within days,” she said.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young suspected there would be an “enormous number of exposure sites” through Brisbane and beyond. The AFL, NRL and Super Netball competitions were all thrown into chaos because of the snap lockdown.

And in the face of the footy mayhem, a WA Government spokesperson said the McGowan administration was all ears for a potential AFL hub in the west.

“As we have shown last year and this year, WA and Optus Stadium offer the safest environment for major events,” the spokesperson said.

“If necessary, the State Government would consider an AFL proposal, but we will always be guided by the health advice to ensure we keep our community safe.”

Yesterday, Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett conceded the AFL grand final might not be played at the MCG, if COVID-19 wreaked havoc in Victoria come finals time.

The McGowan Government has so far refused to actively pursue an AFL grand final for Perth.

In NSW, 210 new cases were logged along with 50 more venues of concern, and a 14th death caused by the latest outbreak.

Authorities confirmed a man in his 60s had died at home in south-west Sydney.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he did not know whether the man had been tested for the virus before his death, but that his family was suffering symptoms.

Mr Hazzard described a “terrible situation” where families, particularly in the south-west, are not coming forward when one of them falls ill.

He suggested that some people may be worried about their ability to go to work and get an income if it’s known there is a case in their household.

Of the 210 new cases, up to 152 may have been active in the community while infectious. Mr Hazzard warned that the Delta variant was “partial to younger people”, with just under two thirds of the new cases aged under 40.

Younger people were also being hospitalised, he said.

Greater Sydney and surrounds will be locked down until at least August 28. A threatened protest to repeat the chaos of last weekend did not materialise.

More than 1300 police officers, pictured, ran a ring of roadblocks stifling any way for troublemakers to enter the CBD. Eight people were arrested, 250 fined and 70,000 were stopped.