Three-day lockdown for parts of Queensland as Delta variant spreads

Parts of Queensland will enter a three-day lockdown from 6pm today in a bid to stamp out the spread of COVID-19, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced.

From 6pm tonight until 6pm on Friday, southeast Queensland, Townsville, Palm Island and Magnetic Island will go into lockdown.

The 11 southeast Queensland local government areas affected by the stay-at-home orders are Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Somerset.

“As I said yesterday, we are not just fighting one outbreak, we are focusing on a number and some more information has come to light today. We are now dealing with multiple scenarios. it’s time for us to act quickly and to act fast,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

From 6pm tonight, people in the lockdown areas can only leave their home for one of the folowing four “essential” reasons.

• essential shopping, or exercising with no more than one person not from the same household.
• essential education and work that cannot be done at home
• obtaining healthcare services, including vaccination,
• care or support of a vulnerable family member

There were two new community-acquired cases in Queensland overnight, including a 19-year-old casual receptionist who works at Prince Charles Hospital.

• Further restrictions have also been announced.
• Funerals are now limited to 20 people and weddings to just 10, with no singing or dancing allowed.
• Visitors to homes have been reduced to two, including children.
• Restaurants and cafes will be reduced to take-away or home delivery only.
• Places of worship, gyms, cinemas, entertainment and recreational venues, and beauty and personal care services will all be closed.

Queensland had already reintroduced restrictions from 1am on Tuesday – including mandatory masks for large parts of the state’s southeast – after three new cases were announced on Monday, one of those of the Delta variant.

The stay-at-home orders make Queensland the Fourth state/Teritory to impose a lockdown in response to latest outbreak, folowing NSW and the Northern Territory and Western Australia