New South Wales residents have been warned to brace themselves for another coronavirus outbreak after a Covid-positive nurse visited Byron Bay for the weekend.
The state recorded zero new cases overnight from 7,300 tests but Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that number was too low for officials to know they hadn’t missed any community transmission of the virus.
On Monday, it emerged an infected Queensland nurse went to a string of venues in the northern NSW tourist town with her sister including the Byron Beach Hotel, The Farm and Suffolk Beachfront Holiday Park.
Ms Berejiklian said she ‘would not be surprised’ if Queensland’s outbreak of the highly-contagious B117 UK strain of the virus spread south of the border.
She ruled out though shutting the border despite the Sunshine State announcing eight new local cases of the virus on Tuesday.
‘The NSW government is confident we have the provisions in place to get on top of it,’ she said.
‘I hope we do not have any cases arise in New South Wales but I would not be surprised if we did, so we must brace ourselves.
‘We are expecting more cases from Queensland and hopefully most of those cases will be people in isolation, although we have to assume this is an evolving situation.’
The sisters had attended a bachelorette party at The Farm in Byron Bay on March 28 between 8am and 9.30am.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said a NSW resident is believed to have caught the virus at the party, although she is being treated as a Queensland case.
New South Wales residents who have recently returned from Brisbane must immediately go into a three-day lockdown with Byron Bay (pictured) a potential hotspot
NSW Health released an alert on Monday evening saying anyone who had visited the Queensland capital since March 20 must immediately self-isolate and not leave their house until Thursday at 5pm.
Byron Bay residents are being urged to be especially vigilant in monitoring their health and are encouraging anyone with even the mildest symptoms to get tested immediately and self-isolate until told otherwise.
Ghanda Clothing, Tiger Lily, Black Sheep, Quicksilver, Suffolk Bakery and the Park Hotel Bottle Shop are in that category as well as Byron Beach Hotel, The Farm and Suffolk Beachfront Holiday Park.
The relevant times for the enforced isolation period can be found on the NSW Health website.
Several venues in Byron Bay have been listed as potentially at-risk including the Beach Hotel (pictured) – anyone who attended on Friday March 26 must be tested and isolate immediately
Byron Bay is believed to have been exposed to the latest outbreak of coronavirus that originated in Brisbane
People with even the slightest of symptoms are being encouraged to seek a test immediately and self-isolate until further notice
Greater Brisbane has been ordered into a three-day lockdown after a coronavirus cluster grew to seven cases with evidence of ‘significant community transmission’
NSW Health say the lockdown will remain in place for residents who visited Brisbane since March 20 for the same duration as the Queensland mandate.
They will only be allowed to leave for essential reasons including food, medical care and exercise.
The state has also issued entry declaration forms from March 27 for people who have spent time in the Greater Brisbane area.
The forms are to help authorities track anyone who may be linked or exposed to the new outbreak of the UK strain of the virus.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the infected people have been out in the community and travelled to central Queensland and northern NSW.
To stem transmission, Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands has gone into a three-day lockdown from 5pm on Monday – an area with about 2.5 million people.
‘I didn’t sleep last night so I think I am very worried, I’m very concerned,’ Ms Palaszczuk told reporters.
‘But we’ve done it before, we’ve got through this together, and I’m sure that if everyone does the right thing we will be able to get through it.’
NSW Health released an alert on Monday evening saying anyone that had visited the Queensland capital since March 20 must immediately self-isolate and not leave their house until Thursday at 5pm
New South Wales residents who have recently returned from Brisbane must immediately go into a three-day lockdown
Thousands have attempted to leave Brisbane after the three-day lockdown threw Easter long weekend plans into disarray
Brisbane residents had until 5pm on Monday to leave the state or be locked down
Ms Palaszczuk said the the lockdown would be reviewed on Thursday, ahead of the Easter holiday break this weekend.
Greater Brisbane schools and all non-essential businesses premises must close from Monday afternoon.
‘This will also enable our health authorities to get on top of the contact tracing,’ the premier said.
‘This is a huge job now that we have to do because we’ve got more of this community transmission.’
It is the second Greater Brisbane lockdown this year after an earlier shutdown in January.
Anyone who has been in Brisbane since March 20 will also come under the lockdown restrictions.
One of the cases travelled to Gladstone and Gin Gin from March 25 to March 27 and two cases visited venues in Byron Bay in NSW on March 26 and March 28.
The premier said face masks would be mandatory in Brisbane, and will need to be worn indoors throughout the rest of Queensland.
All venues outside Greater Brisbane will only be allowed to host seated patrons.
Greater Brisbane schools and all non-essential businesses premises must close from Monday afternoon
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says four of the new cases are linked to two men in northern Brisbane and a Princess Alexandra Hospital doctor who tested positive.
Two cases are colleagues of a Strathpine man who tested positive on Friday night, while the other cases are a doctor, who tested positive on March 12, and her sister.
Dr Young said it was unclear where the transmission occurred and genomic testing on both latter cases was underway.
‘We now have significant community transmission,’ she said.
States and territories have also moved to restrict incoming travel from Brisbane and the state.
It is the second Greater Brisbane lockdown this year after an earlier shutdown in January
Western Australia will close its border to the entire state of Queensland from 1201am (WST) on Tuesday.
Tasmania has shut its border to Greater Brisbane travellers, while South Australia will do so from 4pm (CST) and Victoria closes to Brisbanites from 6pm (AEDT).
Anyone from Greater Brisbane must isolate and get tested upon entering the Northern Territory and the ACT.
In NSW, people who have been in the lockdown area since March 20 are now subject to the same stay-at-home restrictions as Greater Brisbane.
Entry declarations that ask for details of visits to venues of concern are required for Greater Brisbane arrivals, and NSW Health is advising against non-essential travel to the northern city.
