Speaking ahead of Saturday's local government elections where thousands of Queenslanders will head to the polls, the state's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young allayed fears that voting would be deadly.

She said people need only keep their distance, practice good hygiene and be wary of high traffic areas for hands and the risks will be mitigated.

"This virus is quite a fragile virus and it doesn't take much to kill it at all," Ms Young said.

"That's why if you wash your hands with a bit of soap and water and wipe down the surfaces in your home and think about where people touch all the time, like door knob's, do that and you will keep everyone safe."

Calling coronavirus fragile appeared to be an awkward phrase, said Australian Medical Association federal councillor Dr Chris Moy.

He said coronavirus, for instance, could not be compared to measles which was highly contagious and can live for up to two hours in the air.

"You can clearly moderate the effect, with social distancing, which is physical distancing, the number starts to track down," Dr Moy said.

"It's a slightly awkward way to explain it...but it is relatively short range compared to measles which could get if you walked into a room.

"The ability to clean it off is very important and the social distancing measures work."

Australian Associated Press