Cities go into lockdown as Covid-19 cases spread across Australia
Just two jurisdictions in Australia remain covid-free with cases spreading across the country in less than one week, sparking lockdowns in four states.
States across Australia are grappling with Covid-19 cases with four jurisdictions announcing lockdowns amid concerns over more infectious Delta cases.
Sydney’s outbreak continues to grow but there are also concerns around a Northern Territory mine worker who may have exposed hundreds of workers who have since travelled back to other states, as well as a Sydney-based flight attendant worked on five services while potentially infectious.
New Zealand on Saturday also announced it would pause a travel bubble with Australia for at least three days. However, travel will resume with South Australia, ACT, Tasmania and Victoria on July 5.
The only Australian states that have so far remained covid-free are Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Here is what’s happening:
New South Wales
In less than two weeks, locally acquired covid infections have grown to 188 cases since June 16, when the first case in a limousine driver was reported.
In just one week 137 cases were discovered from Tuesday, June 22 until 8pm June 29. The week before there were just 29 cases.
On Saturday, authorities extended a lockdown to all of Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour, for two weeks until 11.59pm Friday, July 9. Restrictions also apply to other areas of the state.
However, Premier Gladys Berejiklian raised hopes the two-week lockdown would end within the expected timeframe as cases have not grown exponentially.
There are now hundreds of exposure sites, with authorities urging people to check their site regularly for updates.
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Victoria
The nationwide growth of covid cases has seen Victoria hold back on easing its restrictions further.
Theatres were supposed to resume 100 per cent capacity from Friday, while outdoor stadiums were set to increase to 85 per cent capacity.
But Health Minister Martin Foley said there would be no increase this week, due to the “volatile” national situation, urging Victoria’s current position was “worth protecting at all costs”.
One Monday Victoria introduced significant changes to its border restrictions for those coming from parts of NSW, Western Australia and Queensland.
It followed the discovery of two Covid-19 cases linked to the NSW outbreak last Thursday — the same day Victorian authorities announced changes to restrictions as it continued to ease out of lockdown from its own outbreak weeks earlier.
The first case attended his daughter’s West Hoxton birthday party in Sydney on June 19 before flying home to Oakleigh. The second case was a workplace contact at a dry-cleaning business in Sandringham. More than 60 primary close contacts are linked to the business but no further cases have so far been found.
More than 130 close contacts have also been identified on a Jetstar flight JQ523 that the man took from Sydney at 5.30pm on June 20, to Melbourne Airport Tullamarine.
In addition, there have been three cases in the state since Monday last week linked to a Southbank cluster as Victoria continues to mop up the final infections from its earlier outbreak.
Northern Territory
On Wednesday, authorities announced a lockdown would extend to Alice Springs from 1pm for three days after a miner, believed to have covid, transited through the town’s airport.
Authorities earlier extended a lockdown in Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield for a further 72 hours until Friday, 1pm.
It follows a mine worker outbreak that has seen the territory dealing with its first public exposure sites.
“For the first time, we do have public exposure sites in the Northern Territory,” Chief Minister Michael Gunner told reporters on Monday.
At least 10 cases have been connected with a mine outbreak after a worker is believed to have become infected during an overnight stay at a Brisbane quarantine hotel.
The first mine worker case, who tested positive on Friday, travelled on a charter flight a week earlier from Brisbane to the Granites gold mine in the Tanami Desert on Friday, June 18.
Another man in his 50s tested positive for the Delta variant after leaving the mine site on June 25 and was a close contact over the earlier case. The man was in isolation at Howard Springs from the night of June 26 but did visit a number of sites in Darwin before that.
About 900 people were known to have left the mine since June 18 and taken charter flights to Darwin, Alice Springs, Perth and Brisbane. About 244 are in believed to still be in the Territory.
Other states have also listed the Granites mine as an exposure site.
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Queensland
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced Tuesday a three-day lockdown starting from 6pm covering South East Queensland, Townsville, Palm Island and Magnetic Island.
On Wednesday three new cases were announced, including the brother of an unvaccinated Queensland hospital worker, 19, who worked outside the covid ward at the Prince Charles Hospital, which sparked the snap lockdown for parts of Queensland.
The state is dealing with a concerning number of new cases that sparked earlier restrictions announced on Monday.
Two new cases were identified on Monday including a female miner from the Sunshine Coast who tested positive for the Delta variant, and who authorities believe was out in the community for one day while infectious.
It follows the news that a NT miner, who is believed to have got covid from hotel quarantine in Brisbane, was infectious in the Qld community for about one day, transiting from Brisbane Airport on Friday night to the Sunshine Coast.
The miner was one of three local cases revealed on Sunday.
Last week there were also two cases linked to a woman who tested positive after leaving hotel quarantine.
The international cabin crew member in her 30s tested positive for the Alpha variant on June 20 during routine testing shortly after completing 14 days of quarantine. She visited several locations including the Airport DFO, Brisbane CBD, and a restaurant in Ellen Grove.
The two cases were close contacts of the woman and were already isolating.
Authorities previously announced new restrictions from Tuesday 1am, June 29, including mandatory masks for Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Morton, Brisbane, Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim, the Lockyer Valley, and Somerset.
Western Australia
The state announced a four-day lockdown for the Perth and Peel regions on Monday night after a third covid case was discovered.
Another case was revealed on Wednesday, a 37-year-old male who trained at the Mobius Health and Performance gym in Joondalup, where two other cases also visited, however he has been isolating and is not expected to have been infectious while in the community.
The first case, a woman in her 50s, travelled to NSW on June 15, and visited a hotspot venue before returning to Perth on June 20. She initially tested negative to Covid-19 on her return but got tested again after realising a venue she had visited had been added to a list of hotspots.
The second case, a woman aged 32, visited a gym in Joondalup and had “minimal contact” with the first case.
The third case, a man in his 30s, tested positive after a case of “fleeting contact” with the initial case at the Indian Ocean Brewery in the northern suburbs.
Authorities had already introduced restrictions on Sunday for the Perth-Peel region for a minimum of three days.
The state is also on alert for possible cases linked to the NT mine worker, with at least three flights from Perth carrying 252 workers from the Granites mine between June 18-25.
South Australia
The state resisted going into lockdown on Wednesday after recording five new cases linked to an infectious mine worker and his family.
However, new restrictions were introduced and will be in place until the end of the week.
Home gatherings were reduced to 10 people and masks indoors are required “where it is very difficult for the contact tracers to know who you have been adjacent to”.
It comes after previous restrictions were introduced on Monday.
The measures, described as “preemptive action”, include reintroducing masks for high risk settings, including hospitals and aged care facilities, placing an “upper limit” on private gatherings and density limits for pubs and clubs.
The measures are expected to remain in place for a week.
Tasmania
The state has restrictions on people coming from Northern Territory, NSW, Queensland and Victoria and Western Australia. Anyone who has visited certain hotspots or exposure sites will not be allowed to enter the state.
Australian Capital Territory
The territory has made face masks mandatory in certain public settings including public transport and retail shops.
Non-ACT residents who have been in specific areas of the Northern Territory, as well as NSW, Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New Zealand face restrictions and may not be permitted to travel into the ACT unless they have an approved exemption.
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