Brisbane, Australia – Australia’s third-largest city closed and borders tightened across the country on Friday after a quarantine hotel cleaner was hired Variety of coronavirus from the United Kingdom which officials say is more infectious. More than two million residents in the Greater Brisbane area will have to stay home for at least three days starting Friday evening, authorities said.
“If we want to stop the spread of this infectious strain, this strain of the UK, we must act immediately,” said Annastacia Palaszczuk, Queensland’s prime minister.
Large lines were formed in the city’s shops, prompting officials to urge people to stop panicking. Inbound restrictions will still allow residents to leave home to buy commodities.
In the central shopping area of Brisbane, Queen Street Mall, people expressed widespread support for the measures, with the intention of avoiding the number of cases The variant applies to Britain.
Andy McPhee, 51, a Brisbane resident who works for an international company, said the blockade was reduced compared to what his colleagues were living abroad.
“I don’t think a three-day blockade will harm us at all. I think it’s essential to get rid of the virus,” McPhee told AFP. “One case becomes two and two cases become ten, so before you know it, you can get a little out of control.”
British officials have said the variant, which sparked warnings in the UK last month, appears to be between 50% and 70% more infectious than other COVID-19 strains most commonly detected in Australia.
In recent weeks, several cases have been detected ranging from the UK and South Africa in travelers who are currently in compulsory quarantine in Australia.
But the Queensland case was the first to be hired locally and is believed to have spread to a cleaner of a traveler returning isolated in a quarantine hotel in Brisbane.
New rules at the national level
The closure of the city meant the return of restrictions that had not been seen since March. Residents have been ordered to stay home and were asked to wear masks when they left just for essential reasons.
Following the announcement, authorities across the country restricted travel to and from Brisbane and tightened already harsh rules on international arrivals.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said all international travelers should undergo tests before flying to Australia.
The already low number of arrivals would also be temporarily reduced by 50% and a mandatory 14-day quarantine will be maintained for all travelers.
The new strains
“There are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties regarding the new strain, and that’s why we believe this preventative approach is very sensible,” Morrison said.
Researchers are struggling to determine how contagious the British variant, known as B.1.1.7, is. Data outside the UK is limited.
Another key issue is whether existing vaccines work against the new strain, and Pfizer reported Friday that the preliminary findings were positive and the the vaccines seemed to work.
Normal summer, interrupted
Prior to the announcement, Brisbane was among several Australian cities enjoying a return to relative normalcy during the summer in the southern hemisphere.
The state of Queensland did not register any new community transmission cases on Friday.
Jono Searle / Getty
But recent outbreaks in Sydney and Melbourne had forced them to again restrict travel across state borders, amid growing pressure on officials to speed up the deployment of the vaccine.
On Thursday, Morrison announced plans to advance weekly planned vaccine deployments. They are now scheduled to begin in February.
Australia has reported more than 28,500 cases of COVID-19 and 909 virus-related deaths, in a population of about 25 million.