Another Queenslander has died from COVID-19 after travelling on a cruise ship, while eight people have tested positive for the disease overnight.

April 18, 2020

A sixth Queenslander has died after contracting the coronavirus while onboard a cruise liner.

The 83-year-old man died while quarantining in Sydney after he was a passenger on the Celebrity Eclipse.

“That means there is a family in Queensland today grieving for the loss of a loved one,” Health Minister Steven Miles told reporters on Saturday.

There were eight new COVID-19 cases diagnosed overnight, bringing the total number of people infected in Queensland since the crisis began to 1014. Of those, 738 people have recovered.

Mr Miles said 271 people remain ill with the virus, with 22 in hospital. Nine people are in intensive care, seven on ventilators.

“As tragic as the loss of another life is, it reminds us of the effort we are all going to has already saved the lives of dozens of Queenslanders,” he said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said there will be no early end to the state’s lockdown restrictions, which authorities fear could lead to a rapid spike in infections.

Border checkpoints will also remain in place with a warning they could be tightened even further.

Earlier, the Queensland government announced it had offered $200 million to help rescue Virgin Australia.

The cash-strapped airline suspended trading in its shares to continue talks on financial aid and restructuring alternatives after it was unsuccessful in its request to the Australian government for $1.4 billion in loans.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick said it is important Australia continues to have two airlines to support tourism, jobs and regional investment

He called on the Morrison government to also step in and help.

“All governments need to come together to ensure that is the case. Queensland can’t do this on its own,” he told reporters on Saturday.

Mr Dick said Queensland’s support was conditional on debt restructuring, and shareholders and bondholders doing their bit.

The airline’s headquarters would also need to remain in Brisbane, where about 5000 people are employed, and regional flights would need to continue.

Asked about propping up an airline that could be bought-out by a foreign company, Mr Dick said it was a risk but without two airlines, airfares and freight costs in Australia would rise.

“We want to keep the air fair. We know on routes where there is only a single carrier, the cost of flights can be 20 per cent to 25 per cent more,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack welcomed Queensland’s commitment to help Virgin, saying the Morrison government was also exploring avenues to keep two airlines in the air.

“Sustaining Australia’s aviation industry is critical to protecting livelihoods and saving lives,” he said.

Mr McCormack, who is the federal transport minister, said the Morrison government had already invested $165 million in Qantas and Virgin to ensure essential domestic network services keep operating.

He said there is a heavy focus on Queensland routes and the federal government would continue to monitor Virgin’s situation.

“But the best solution for the airline would be a market solution,” he said.