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Queensland imposes 'strictest lockdown yet' as outbreak grows

Queensland will enter a snap lockdown at 4pm on Saturday after six cases of community-transmitted coronavirus were identified.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced on Saturday that 11 LGAs including Brisbane, Ipswich and Gold Coast will be in lockdown until Tuesday at 4pm.

"This will be the strictest lockdown that we have had," Mr Miles said.

"We must go hard and go early".

A cleaner in protective gear is seen at Indooroopilly State High School in Brisbane.
Indooroopilly State High School undergoes a deep clean on Friday. Source: AAP

Residents in the affected lockdown areas can only leave home for four reasons - essential work, study or childcare, to exercise, buy food and supplies, and to receive healthcare, including being tested for Covid-19 or vaccinated against it.

Funerals and weddings in the lockdown zone will be limited to 10 people and hospitality will go to takeaway only. Other non-essential businesses will have to close.

Locked down Queensland LGAs

  • Brisbane City

  • Moreton Bay Regional Council

  • Gold Coast

  • Ipswich

  • Lockyer Valley Regional Council

  • Logan City

  • Noosa Shire Council

  • Redland City

  • Scenic Rim Regional Council

  • Somerset Regional Council

  • Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Six new Covid cases linked to teen

A 17-year-old girl, who's an Indooroopilly State High School student, tested positive on Thursday night after suffering a headache.

On Saturday, that state confirmed six close contacts of the teen now have the Delta strain of Covid-19. Health authorities do not know how the student caught the virus, with the mystery cluster now at seven cases.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said two of the seven cases are students from Indooroopilly State High School and nearby Ironside State School.

Dr Young said all students and staff at the two schools will now complete 14 days' quarantine.

“Those two schools alone are very large schools and there have been a lot of people who have been potentially infected days ago, who could already have started spreading," Dr Young said.

Six of the seven cases are in one household. The seventh case is a medical student from the University of Queensland who had been tutoring the teen.

Dr Young said while it has not been confirmed, she believes the medical student may have brought it into that household. The medical student had also visited the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

On Friday, Dr Young told reporters she was "struggling to understand" how the 17-year-old girl had acquired the virus.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young reacts during a press conference at Parliament House in Brisbane.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said authorities do not know how the teen acquired Covid. Source: AAP

Queensland's Covid exposure sites grow

Queensland Health added new exposure sites to its list on Friday evening, including Indooroopilly State High School.

New locations also include a Virgin flight from Perth to Brisbane on July 18, Ipswich Hospital Fever Clinic and Ipswich CBD Community Vaccination Clinic.

Authorities are trying to track down plane passengers who flew between Perth and Brisbane and guests who stayed at two backpacker hostels with a man who has the virus.

The man quarantined after arriving in Brisbane from the Philippines on July 3.

He then flew to Perth on July 17 and was denied entry, placed in quarantine, then sent back to Brisbane on a flight on July 20.

The man became unwell while staying at a backpackers hostel in Brisbane and tested positive on Monday.

Contact tracers are still tracking any passengers on Qantas flight 932 from Brisbane to Perth on July 20 and guests who have stayed at the Brisbane City Backpackers HQ or Joe's Place Backpackers.

None of the other 62 guests at the hostels have tested positive, but are being quarantined in their rooms.

Authorities took the infected man to hospital on Thursday afternoon.

"I'm comfortable that we're doing what's needed," Dr Young said.

"We will just have to see what happens over the next few days, remembering that it's the Alpha variant, and so I wouldn't be surprised if we get cases in the next 10 days.

A community vaccination clinic in Ipswich was also closed for deep cleaning with appointments postponed, Queensland Health confirmed on Friday.

All staff working within the clinic during the time of exposure are currently being reviewed by West Moreton Health.

Contact tracers are also working out which students and teachers need to self-isolate or go into quarantine.

with AAP

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