10 new cases overnight: Brisbane to go into lockdown

Greater Brisbane will go into a three-day lockdown from 5pm on Monday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there had been 10 new cases overnight, with four of those cases confirmed as community transmission.

Brisbane will go into another three-day lockdown at 5pm on Monday.Credit: Jono Searle/Getty Images

Schools will be closed from Tuesday. However, children of essential workers will still be able to go to school and daycare.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the current cluster now had seven cases.

One of the new cases was in the central Queensland city of Gladstone for three days while infectious. Two other cases visited Byron Bay while contagious.

When asked whether Gladstone could face similar restrictions, Dr Young said authorities needed to find out what venues were visited to make that call. She said the man was in Gladstone from March 25 to March 28.

“We now have significant community transmission,” Dr Young said.

“The current cluster we’re dealing with has seven cases: the initial two gentlemen and now a brother of one of those that we think could be that link [to] the PA doctor who was infectious two weeks ago.

“Then we have two colleagues of the second new case, who have tested positive yesterday, and one of those people was in Gladstone for three days while they were infectious.

“Then late last night I was notified of another case, who happens to be a nurse working in the COVID ward, she did some shifts there, but I’m not sure that’s where she’s acquired it – we will need to wait for genome sequencing results that we should get back late tonight or tomorrow morning, which will make it clear.”

Dr Young said the nurse’s sister was also positive, and authorities were not sure where the transmission happened.

Residents of greater Brisbane are allowed two visitors to their homes during the lockdown and can leave only for essential reasons.

Masks will be mandatory indoors, unless you are in your own home.

“When you go to the shopping centre, public transport or in a ride share, please wear a mask,” Dr Young said.

“There is not a requirement to wear a mask outside if you can socially distance.”

For the next three days in Greater Brisbane, funerals will be capped at 20 people, weddings 10 people and household gatherings two people. Restaurants and bars will be closed, but takeaway will still be available.

Gatherings in the rest of Queensland will be restricted to 30 people.

The lockdown will apply to anybody who has visited Greater Brisbane since March 20. People who have moved to different areas since then will need to follow the lockdown rules.

Ms Palaszczuk has advised other states to declare Greater Brisbane a hotspot.

The Premier said she was very worried about the situation.

“We have to act swiftly, we’ve done that before and that’s why we are doing it again ... health has to come first here,” the Premier said.

“Please do not go and panic buy – the supermarkets are full of supply and you will still be able to get food as part of this lockdown ... the food shops will operate as usual.”

Visits to aged care facilities, disability accommodation and prisons will be limited.

More than 11,000 COVID tests were done on Sunday.

Contact tracers sprang into action on Friday after a new local case of the more infectious UK strain was diagnosed in a Stafford man.

The man’s friend, a Strathpine man, was confirmed to have the virus on Saturday.

Testing on Sunday found the “missing link” between the current cluster and a doctor who was unknowingly infectious in the community earlier this month.

Serology testing revealed that the brother of the Stafford man was probably infected by the doctor and then gave it to his brother.

A full list of contact tracing locations can be found on Queensland Health’s website.