Greater Brisbane to enter three-day lockdown after new COVID-19 case

The Queensland Government has announced that the Greater Brisbane area is to enter a snap three-day lockdown and that mask wearing will be mandatory across the state following a growing cluster of Coronavirus cases.

The move is expected to have a massive impact on South East Queensland businesses no longer eligible to claim JobKeeper, sport event scheduling and tourism and events in he lead up to Easter.

Moves by other states to restrict cross-border travel to and from Queenslanders is also expected to see people change their tourism plans for the upcoming Easter weekend.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young, today described a growing cluster of cases as an example of “significant community transmission” and warned people in greater Brisbane to stay home over the coming days.

The outbreak also includes two women who travelled to Byron Bay in Northern NSW while infectious. Their travel has the potential to impact this weekend’s Bluesfest with reports that Queenslanders will be barred from entering.

Among sporting fixtures, the Brisbane Lions’ AFL home game against Collingwood, scheduled for Thursday, has been shifted to Melbourne. The Lions currently remain in Victoria following their weekend fixture in Geelong.

In the NRL, to avoid transit through Brisbane, North Queensland and Cronulla are considering charter flights to the Sunshine Coast for their fixture on Saturday. Gold Coast host Canberra at home on Saturday, with that match likely to go ahead because the city is not part of the Brisbane lockdown.

The Brisbane lockdown - which starts from 5pm today (Monday 29th March) - sees people only allowed to leave their home for essential reasons including grocery shopping, work if they cannot work from home, medical care and exercise.

It affects the following local government areas: Moreton Bay, Brisbane City, Ipswich city, Redland city, Logan City.

From 5pm 29th March 2021, people who have been in the greater Brisbane region since the 20th March 2021 will be subject to home confinement restrictions.

Masks wearing for Queensland (all of Queensland including Greater Brisbane) applies as follows:

• You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home, unless you have a lawful reason not to.
• You must wear a mask in indoor spaces, such as: 

• shopping centres, supermarkets, retail outlets and indoor markets

• hospitals and aged care facilities

• hospitality venues such as restaurants and cafés (not required for patrons while seated; customer facing staff only)

• churches and places of worship

• libraries

• indoor recreational facilities and gyms (except if doing strenuous exercise*)

• indoor workplaces (where safe to wear a mask and you can’t physically distance)

• public transport, taxis and rideshare, including waiting areas and queues for this transport

• airports and travelling on planes.

• Masks do not need to be worn in some circumstances, including children under 12 years, where people have certain medical conditions, and in workplaces where it is not safe to do so.
• You can remove your masks to consume food or drink.

*Strenuous exercise is exercise in or above the aerobic zone including high-intensity interval training, cycling, running.

Click here for more information on the Queensland Government website.