At least 16 ‘variants of concern’ found in Queensland hotels this month

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said there would likely be more outbreaks from quarantine hotels across the country, although the risk of massive shutdowns was less likely.

She said purpose built quarantine hubs would be needed if the Commonwealth wanted to increase caps on international arrivals.

Premier Annastaica Palaszczuk flagged the risk of a major outbreak would remain “whilst we have hotel quarantine in our major capital cities and whilst we are still allowing large numbers of returning Australians coming home”.

“We are dealing now with highly infectious strains and these strains are spreading in our hotels,” she said.

“Our hotels are not hospitals, they were never meant to prevent the spread of a highly infectious…