Queensland will employ law enforcement agencies to bolster contract tracing of people who have gone into quarantine or isolation over coronavirus concerns.

Key points: The State Attorney-General will utilise police and the Department of Justice to bolster contact tracing

The State Attorney-General will utilise police and the Department of Justice to bolster contact tracing Queensland has recorded 55 new COVID-19 cases with 743 cases overall

Queensland has recorded 55 new COVID-19 cases with 743 cases overall More hotels are being used to quarantine travellers returning from overseas

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement as she revealed another 55 cases of coronavirus in Queensland, taking the total number of cases in the state to 743.

"I have appointed Yvette D'Ath, my Attorney-General, and she will be assisted with some law enforcement agencies and her Department of Justice to bolster even more that absolute tracking of people that have been put into self-isolation," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"So in terms of the number, the 743, the Department of Health have contacted 50,000 people relating to that 743.

"You can see that [Queensland] Health is doing everything they possibly can. I want to commend [Minister] Steven Miles and [Chief Health Officer Jeannette] Young and her team. They have a unit of 500 people who are doing that contact-tracing."

The rise in cases was higher than it had been in the previous two days, but Mr Miles said the rise had been "relatively stable over recent days".

Police escort overseas travellers who will be in quarantine at Brisbane's Rydges Hotel at South Bank. ( ABC News: Chris Gillette )

"Of them 65 are in hospital, seven of those are in intensive care and five of them are currently being ventilated," Mr Miles said.

More hotels used for quarantine of travellers

Ms Palaszczuk said 174 people from international flights were in hotel quarantine in Queensland.

She said hotels beyond the Ibis and Novotel near the Brisbane international airport were being used to quarantine overseas travellers.

The ABC has observed travellers being delivered to Rydges Hotel at South Bank under police escort.

"We are identifying accommodation that is available for people coming back from overseas," the Premier said.

"We don't have the large volumes that are coming back in anymore and the numbers are dropping dramatically.

"We do still have a couple of flights coming in a day and under the strict quarantine orders that national cabinet has agreed on, they must go into quarantine – it's really important."

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Dr Young said strict limitations were being placed on overseas travellers under hotel quarantine.

"In those hotels, the people will be kept quarantined from each other, so that they will be in a room with their partner if they've been in contact with that partner up to that point," Dr Young said.

"So those two people, but not with other people, and that's important."

The Premier said 174 returning travellers had been placed in hotel quarantine. ( ABC News: Chris Gillette )

Dr Young said it was critical for as many people as possible to limit social contact and remain at home wherever possible to minimise spread.

"That is really important … because then we won't need to contact-trace those hundreds of people for each case," Dr Young said.

She said the extra resources being deployed would greatly assist in quarantine and isolation efforts.

"It means that we can then put those people that we believe have had significant contact into home quarantine so that when they get it, if they get it, then they are already in quarantine and we only need to contact-trace the people in that household, not more broadly.

Overseas travellers are being placed under strict quarantine in hotels, Dr Young said. ( ABC News: Chris Gillette )

"That's the reason that we have asked over 40,000 Queenslanders to go into quarantine or to go into isolation.

"Now, just to explain the difference again, quarantine is about well people.

"Someone we're asking to go into isolation is sick, which means they are able to transmit that infection at that point in time. We want them to be in absolute isolation — that's the difference."

Cairns public health alert

Mr Miles said 46,845 people in Queensland had been tested for COVID-19.

"Our positive rate is 1.6 per cent, below the national positive testing rate of 1.88 per cent. And that national rate is one of, if not the best in the world," he said.

Mr Miles said a public health alert had been issued for people in Cairns who might have been at the Edmonton PCYC for a wrestling competition on March 14.

"Given that is more than two weeks ago, there is no need for anyone to take any action if they are currently well.

"However, if they became unwell in the 14 days from 14th to 28th, they are urged to seek medical advice, if they became unwell with respiratory symptoms."