Queensland has recorded six new locally-acquired cases of COVID-19, with two being treated as the Omicron variant, after both people visited Newcastle in the last week, health officials in that state said Wednesday.
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One man is said to have visited the Argyle House nightclub in Newcastle, which has become an epicentre of the Hunter's latest outbreak, while another was in the city before flying to Brisbane and then onto Townsville on Monday.
Passengers on the flight on which both people entered Queensland were initially classified as close contacts, health officials said, putting them at risk of being in quarantine over Christmas.
However, QLD Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has since said most passengers who were with the man on Virgin Airlines flight 1105 from Newcastle to Brisbane then on flight 375 from Brisbane to Townsville on Monday afternoon would be reclassified as casual contacts.
Ms D'Ath said the decision to initially classify passengers as close contacts was just a precaution and most people would be reclassified later on Wednesday.
"We don't need to wait until we get the findings of whether it's Omicron because if it is we still will apply these rules," she said.
"That means that other than those people who will be directly advised they are close contacts because they were either part of the travelling party or sitting immediately around this individual.
"The remainder of the passengers will be deemed to be casual contacts."
Ms D'Ath said the state's six cases emerged after 12,336 tests in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Wednesday, adding that as a precaution health officials would be treating the two Newcastle cases in the state "as if they are Omicron".
The new cases are in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Wide Bay, Goondiwindi and Townsville.
Meanwhile, a number of people in the southern Queensland border town of Goondiwindi could also be ordered into 14 days' isolation after a known case visited three venues.
The gaming lounges at both the O'Shea's Royal Hotel and the Victoria Hotel have been listed as close contact exposure sites for Monday afternoon, along with McDonald's Goondiwindi on the Cunningham Highway for Tuesday morning.
Queensland has also reclassified one virus case in hotel quarantine as Omicron on Wednesday.
- with reporting from AAP
