Airport chaos as travel restrictions introduced before holidays

Ash Cant
·2-min read

Chaotic scenes have emerged from Brisbane Airport as the news of an expanding coronavirus cluster plunged the city into a snap three-day lockdown.

Borders across Australia have been shut to Queenslanders after four new cases of Covid-19 emerged in the Greater Brisbane community.

On Monday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ordered the lockdown for Greater Brisbane from 5pm on Monday.

Passengers check in for flights out of Brisbane, ahead of Greater Brisbane's three-day coronavirus lockdown. Source: AAP
Passengers check in for flights out of Brisbane, ahead of Greater Brisbane's three-day coronavirus lockdown. Source: AAP

Images taken by AAP show people flocking to the airport, most likely to get back to their home state before borders shut, with people donning face masks and pulling their luggage.

Now, footage of chaotic scenes at airports have emerged on social media.

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Bryce Heaton, from 9News who was trying to get home to South Australia, shared footage of Brisbane Airport showing a long line of people queuing up at the Virgin Australia check-in counter.

"Bedlam at Brisbane Airport following the new directives from SA Health," Heaton tweeted. In a later tweet he said it seemed as though he would be getting an "extended vacation" in Brisbane.

"I was supposed to be heading home to Adelaide from Brisbane, and was in this line as news filtered through about SA slamming the border shut," he added.

States, territories tighten border restrictions

To prevent the virus spreading, states and territories across Australia tightened border restrictions in response to the growing cluster.

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Victoria has declared Greater Brisbane a "red zone" from 6pm AEDT under its travel permit system.

All Queenslanders will be locked out of Western Australia from midnight, unless they have an exemption, after the McGowan government moved to reintroduce a hard border.

Traffic is seen leaving Brisbane towards the Gold Coast at the Pacific Highway at Logan, Monday, as the lockdown was confirmed. Source: AAP
Traffic is seen leaving Brisbane towards the Gold Coast at the Pacific Highway at Logan, Monday, as the lockdown was confirmed. Source: AAP

South Australia imposed a hard border on Monday afternoon, banning entry from Greater Brisbane and requiring the testing and isolating of those who had arrived since March 20.

Restrictions have also been imposed in the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

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