Greater Brisbane will be locked down for three days from 6pm tonight as the state battles to prevent the spread of the highly-infections UK strain of the virus now confirmed to be active in the state.
From 6pm, residents in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands will be required to stay home until 6pm Monday unless leaving home for essential work or shopping, to provide care to a vulnerable person, or to exercise locally, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced this morning.
The lockdown comes after confirmation that a cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane tested positive yesterday to the mutant UK strain and had spent time out and about in the community for five days while infectious.
Premier Palaszczuk said the move was harsh but necessary in the face of the UK strain, which is said to be 70% more contagious.Â
“Think of it as a long weekend at home, we need to do this,” she said.
“If we do not do this now it could end up being a 30-day lock down.”
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the lockdown came at an extremely critical time for Queensland.
“I ask that everyone takes the next three days seriously,” she said.
“It’s important we all do our bit to comply with new restrictions to prevent spread of this new strain.”
She said Queensland Police would be conducting additional patrols and random intercepts to ensure everyone was complying with the health directives.
“We have done this before and I know that we can do this again,” the Commissioner said.
“I ask for your cooperation in dealing with this over the next three days.”
Queensland recorded nine new cases of coronavirus overnight – all in hotel quarantine.
