Capital cities in lockdown as Australia’s Covid-19 crisis worsens

Australia has recorded 36 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Friday as just two jurisdictions remain without an active infection.

Australia has recorded 36 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Friday as several states lifted strict lockdown measures as outbreaks were brought under control.

Tasmania and the ACT remain the only Australian jurisdictions without active local Covid-19 cases as several states battle outbreaks.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Perth and Peel regions of Western Australia will come out of lockdown this weekend despite recording one new case of Covid-19 overnight but some restrictions, including the use of masks, will remain in place for some time.

Premier Mark McGowan told reporters on Friday the new local case was a 21-year-old woman who is the partner of the man who picked up the virus at a pub.

She has been in quarantine with her partner and previously tested negative twice, before returning a positive result on Thursday.

NSW

Thirty-one new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in NSW.

Of those, 12 were active in the community while infectious, while the others were isolating.

“I do want to stress that this pretty much reflects the days just before, and the day when we went into lockdown,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

“Hopefully early next week we should see the impact of the lockdown really turning and having a positive impact.

QUEENSLAND

Queensland recorded three new locally acquired Covid-19 cases as the lockdown was extended for Brisbane.

Brisbane City and Moreton region will remain under stay-at-home directives beyond 6pm Friday, but the lockdown in other local government areas will be lifted.

NSW recorded 31 new local infections. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

One of the new cases is the partner of the Qatar Airway check-in counter staff member reported on Thursday, but health authorities were concerned by two other cases who were not linked to one of the many known clusters plaguing the state.

The pair are a mother and a daughter who live in Carindale but were active in busy areas, including West End and the city while infectious.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young bluntly urged residents “don’t leave Brisbane”.

The state is delicately poised given it is in the grips of five clusters — a woman who works at a check-in counter at the Brisbane Airport, the Portuguese restaurant, Virgin Australia flight attendant, the mine cluster from the Northern Territory, and the 19-year-old receptionist infected by a returned traveller quarantining at the Prince Charles Hospital.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk extended the lockdown for Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

NORTHERN TERRITORY

NT chief minister Michael Gunner confirmed there were no new local cases on Friday, with all 3502 tests returning a negative result.

He said officials “were really happy” with the testing and negative results which came through overnight, prompting the decision to end a snap lockdown.

The hard Covid-19 measures for greater Darwin and Alice Springs ended at 1pm after tens of thousands of residents were plunged into lockdown early this week when a miner tested positive.

VICTORIA

Victoria has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, the health department confirmed about 8.30am.

There were three cases recorded in international travellers in hotel quarantine.

There are 32 active Covid-19 infections in the state, up from 31 on Thursday.

There were 19,470 doses of the vaccine administered across the state in the past 24 hours and 24,726 tests taken.

It comes as Victoria tightened its border with NSW overnight declaring green zone areas as orange zones from Friday morning.

Four Australian jurisdictions have locked down due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

South Australia had one new local Covid-19 case on Friday, the baby of a miner who returned from the Tanami mine site in the Northern Territory.

Premier Steven Marshall said the miner and his wife, both aged in their 30s, and all four of his children were now infected with the virus.

The family is quarantining in Tom’s Court medihotel.

Another case was also recorded in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.

ACT

The nation’s capital has no active cases but in response to the growing cases interstate people in the ACT are now required to wear a mask in indoor venues like shops, cafes, gyms and on public transport.

The government also closed the border to anyone who had been in the greater Sydney area in the past week.

Thousands of people are also under stay-at-home orders after being linked as close contacts despite the ACT recording no active cases.

TASMANIA

The Apple Isle has no active Covid-19 cases but have also slapped on new measures in response to expanding outbreaks on the mainland.

Patrons attending the Festival of Voices events over the next fortnight will be required to wear face masks, except those preforming.

The state’s director of public health, Dr Mark Veitch, will continue to review the need to extend the requirement for people to wear face masks to other activities and venues, in line with the national virus situation and the risk it posed to Tasmanians.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has also snapped the border shut with to Perth metropolitan and Peel regions, high risk areas in NSW and Queensland, and the NT’s Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield.