Queensland premier 'will act swiftly' if Brisbane lockdown is required, won't consider NRL grand final

UPDATE: Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she won't hesitate to plunge Brisbane into lockdown on the weekend, even if it throws the NRL grand final into chaos.

In positive news for the game, Queensland recorded just two new local infections today, and importantly, the sources of both have been identified, giving health authorities a level of comfort ahead of the match.

Queensland's chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, continues to monitor the situation closely, but Ms Palaszczuk said the grand final would have no bearing on any decision.

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"Can I make it very clear, if the advice is to go into lockdown, we will go into lockdown," she said.

"There's no ifs and buts here people, this is serious.

"It's going to depend whether we see any unlinked community transmission over the next 24-48 hours.

"I will have no qualms (about a lockdown). People know me, they know Dr Young, if Dr Young gives us the advice, we will act immediately and we will act swiftly.

"We will go hard and we will go fast."

The NRL has conceded the grand final would have to be postponed if a lockdown was announced any time after today, as there'd be no time to move the game to Townsville. Given today's figures, it now appears unlikely the match will be moved north, at least this weekend.

NRL boss Andrew Abdo said earlier today that he remains hopeful the grand final can go ahead at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

The Queensland government yesterday introduced restrictions in the Brisbane area, capping Suncorp Stadium at 75 per cent of its capacity for the match. That means a reduction from 52,000 fans to 39,000.

Speaking on Nine's Today, Abdo said the grand final would go ahead in Brisbane even if the capacity was reduced further.

"At this stage 75 per cent crowd, if that drops to 50 per cent, our aim is still to continue playing on Sunday," he said.

"If there's a lockdown, and we see the infection rates rise, then we will have to react accordingly.

"It is a grand final, and we've got to think about our fans, so the contingency plan for us would then be to potentially postpone the match, and possibly play the match in Townsville, if we're able to play in front of a crowd there."

Abdo reiterated that any lockdown after Friday night would be too late to move the game to Townsville.

"We want to play at Suncorp, and we want to play in front of a crowd," he said.

"If there's a lockdown that happens from tomorrow, then I think postponement becomes a realistic option, we can move (to Townsville) quickly, we know that, but we can't put on a grand final within 24 hours.

"It's not fair to the fans in Townsville, and it's not fair to the teams in terms of their preparation.

"We'd need to make sure the move is done professionally."

While Townsville remains 'Plan B' for the NRL, that region has also had restrictions introduced after an airline worker who tested positive to COVID-19 visited Townsville.

"We are watching this on an hourly basis, and any decisions we make will be made with people's health and safety in mind," Abdo said.

"Clearly the commission wants to make sure we provide a fitting end to the season as well."