Queensland Health declares City of Whittlesea in Melbourne a COVID hotspot

Queensland health authorities have declared part of Melbourne a COVID hotspot after its cluster of cases continues to grow, while people in Queensland from the Greater Melbourne area will be banned from entering aged care facilities and hospitals.

Queensland will force travellers from a part of Melbourne into hotel quarantine or turn them away at the border after a cluster of coronavirus cases was detected.

Queensland Health on Tuesday evening declared the City of Whittlesea, in Melbourne’s north, a COVID-19 hot spot.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath on Wednesday said there were 47 exposure sites across Victoria as the state announced six new cases.

From 1am on Wednesday anyone arriving in Queensland who has been in the local government area since May 11 will be forced into hotel quarantine for two weeks unless they have a valid exemption.

A COVID-19 testing clinic at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Flemington in the wake of a new cluster of cases. Picture: David Crosling

From 1am on Thursday, everyone arriving from Victoria will have to complete a border pass and anyone who has been in the City of Whittlesea since May 11 will be turned away at the border.

Queenslanders who attempt to come home will be put into hotel quarantine.

It comes on top of restrictions announced on Monday, in which anyone who has been in a declared venue of concern associated with the Victorian outbreak will be placed into hotel quarantine unless they have an exemption.

People visiting Queensland from the Greater Melbourne area will be banned from entering aged care facilities and hospitals as Victoria’s COVID-19 cases continue to grow.

“I remind anyone in Queensland currently who has been in Victoria in the past two weeks, please keep checking this (website) to ensure you haven’t been to an exposure site,” M D’Ath said.

Anyone who has been in the Greater Melbourne area since May 11 can’t access Queensland aged care facilities and prisons.

Ms D’Ath said people planning to go to Victoria “should reconsider their need to travel at this time”.

She will also receive a briefing about 11.30am about the latest developments.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has declared the Victorian city of Whittlesea a hotspot, and from 1am anyone arriving from Victoria will be forced to complete a border declaration pass.

“This outbreak shows that this pandemic is far from over,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

Queensland has recorded no new cases of community transmission, but one new case in hotel quarantine.

In the past 24 hours 8096 tests were completed and 5501 vaccines were given - taking the total number of doses administered to 198,598.

Dr Young said restrictions will also apply to the state’s prisons, aged care facilities, disability accommodation services and hospitals.

“From 1am tomorrow (Wednesday May 26), anyone who has been in Greater Melbourne on or after 11 May cannot enter these facilities unless 14 days have passed since they were there,” she said.

Exemptions can be requested on compassionate grounds.

Dr Young said Queensland will continue to monitor the situation.

“Acting quickly matters,” she said.

“These situations are always evolving, but we know the next few days are critical in suppressing the risk of the virus spreading.

“Further restrictions may be required.”