Queensland coronavirus: Cairns yacht carrying a positive case from the Maldives is probed by police

A coronavirus-infected superyacht that has sparked panic and fury in Queensland will be probed by police over whether it even had permission to dock.

The ‘Lady E’ yacht charter allegedly arrived in Cairns from the Maldives on Monday with 14 guests and six crew members on board.

It costs AU$785,000 a week to hire the luxury liner, which includes seven rooms, a pool, a sauna and spa, a bar, a gym and an on-board masseuse and yoga teacher.

A female crew member, in her 20s, tested positive to coronavirus and has now been placed in mandatory quarantine – as have all the other crew and guests.

Queensland Police began investigating whether the ship had permission to dock prior to the positive test.

Health authorities on Thursday said the crew has been less than forthcoming about their movements prior to their arrival.

‘The Queensland Police Service has commenced an investigation into a group of people who arrived in Queensland on board a vessel,’ a police spokesman said.

‘Fourteen people have been directed into 14-days hotel quarantine in Cairns and are undergoing mandatory COVID-19 testing.

‘Six crew members remain on board the vessel for marine safety and have been directed to self-isolate.’

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said she was ‘extremely disappointed’ that the crew have not been cooperative with police.

‘We will leave that for the police to deal with, but we are very disappointed they are not co-operating and providing factual and correct information to the Queensland Police,’ she told reporters on Thursday.

Meanwhile Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said the COVID case proved there were still risks in accepted international travellers.

‘It is a lesson to us all that no matter how long they have been at sea (there’s) a risk,’ she said.

A promotional image of the Lady E superyacht, which costs AU$785,000 per week to hire

The outdoor dining area of Lady E. It also includes seven rooms, a pool, a sauna and spa, a bar, a gym and an on-board masseuse and yoga teacher

Sydney’s Northern Beaches cluster has also spread to the Sunshine State, despite the Premier swiftly closing down the borders.

A local man in his 40s travelled within the Northern Beaches before returning to Queensland and entering home quarantine.

On December 18 when the man returned home, he sought a Covid test which returned a negative result.

But while completing his mandatory home quarantine, he developed symptoms and sought a second test, which returned a positive reading.

Dr Young commended the man for following strict self-isolation protocols even after he initially tested negative, and said his actions could have potentially saved a catastrophic outbreak of Covid in Queensland.

But she is still concerned that the deadly respiratory virus has crept across the border.

‘I am concerned that we do have the virus in Queensland,’ she admitted.

‘We know there were a lot of people who have come back into Queensland from the Northern Beaches area and other parts of Sydney.’

Incoming passengers are screened by police as they arrive at the domestic terminal in Brisbane airport on Sunday

Dr Young commended the man for following strict self-isolation protocols even after he initially tested negative, and said his actions could have potentially saved a catastrophic outbreak of Covid in Queensland

Sydney’s Northern Beaches cluster has also spread to the Sunshine State, despite the Premier swiftly closing down the borders

Queensland health authorities are concerned some of those people may have contracted the virus have brought it back to the Sunshine State.

But Ms D’Ath said she hopes any returned travellers ‘did the right thing’ and isolated at home to avoid potentially spreading the disease.

As Sydney’s COVID cluster grew, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk slammed the borders shut to Sydneysiders from 1 am on Monday.

Locals had an extra 24 hours to return home under the condition that they enter home quarantine when they arrived.

But anybody who arrived after 1 is on Tuesday was again ordered to enter two-week hotel quarantine at their own cost.

Queensland has not recorded a case of community transmission in 100 days, and Ms Palaszczuk explained that she was not willing to jeopardise Queenslanders’ way of life by keeping the borders open to states with active clusters.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the changes after New South Wales recorded just 30 new cases of coronavirus. The Northern Beaches cluster now exceeds 100 cases

As Sydney’s Covid cluster grew, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk slammed the borders shut to Sydneysiders from 1am on Monday

During a fiery press conference on Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk said the nation needed to be ‘absolutely strict’ when it comes to handling returning Australians.

She added it was ‘a bit rich’ for New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian to slam other states and territories for implementing border closures ahead of the Christmas/New Year period.

Ms Berejiklian this week said other leaders had lost their nerve, sacrificed their economies and ruined Christmas for millions by shutting the borders so early.

She lashed other state premiers for rushing to slam borders shut, while pointing out NSW continued to allow interstate travellers despite much higher case numbers in Victoria in July.

‘I’m saying to colleagues around the country please think about the heartbreak and please think about the facts when you’re making these decisions. Because it impacts so many people,’ Ms Berejiklian said on Monday.

Ms Palaszczuk said: ‘It is not just Queensland that took the tough measure of shutting the border with NSW’.

‘The heath advice of nearly every other health officer across the country was advising their respective leaders exactly the same thing independently,’ she said.

‘If there hadn’t been the cluster outbreak in the Northern Beaches, no one would have had to take these measures and everybody would’ve been seeing their family and friends over this Christmas/New Year period.

‘But it’s a bit rich for NSW to start blaming Queensland and Victoria and whichever other state and territory she wants to blame.’