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SYDNEY: The Australian state of Queensland warned on Tuesday (March 30) that more cases of COVID-19 were expected to emerge as authorities scrambled to contain an outbreak related to the virulent UK variant, causing Easter travel plans will get disorganized.
Authorities reported eight new locally acquired cases Tuesday, bringing the total from the latest outbreak to 15 so far. All the cases were related to two different groups of viruses, one related to a doctor and the second to a nurse, authorities said.
“The fact that we have these cases linked is good news,” Queensland State Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters. “Do we expect to see more cases? Probably. We will probably see more.”
Brisbane, the state capital, has been subjected to a three-day lockdown through Thursday, requiring more than 2 million city residents to stay home except for essential jobs, health care, grocery shopping or exercise.
The restrictions changed vacation plans for thousands of people, with the shutdown scheduled to end just one day before the long Easter weekend and school holidays in Australia, a popular time for the holidays.
Several states closed their borders with Queensland, while others will require travelers from virus hotspots to self-isolate for two weeks upon return.
Brisbane Airport forecast a sharp drop in the number of domestic travelers passing through the airport over the weekend compared to its pre-closing expectations.
“This week we had forecast between 35,000 and 40,000 a day. However, today this number was closer to 15,000 and we anticipate that it could drop to less than 10,000 a day over the weekend,” a spokeswoman told Reuters.
READ: Fast lockdown ordered in Australia’s Brisbane after COVID-19 outbreak
READ: Australia reports first locally acquired COVID-19 case in a week
The closure and border controls could put state companies under further pressure, as the government’s A $ 90 billion ($ 69 billion) labor subsidy scheme ended on Sunday.
Neighboring New South Wales (NSW) state, Australia’s most populous, is also on alert after two of the Queensland cases, a nurse and her sister, unknowingly traveled infected to Byron Bay, a resort town to the south of the Queensland border and home to Hollywood A-listers like Chris Hemsworth.
Health alerts were issued for a hotel, cafe and restaurant exposed to the virus, as officials urged customers to test and isolate themselves.
“I hope there are no cases in NSW, but I would not be surprised if we did. Therefore we must prepare,” said NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Instant locks, social distancing rules and fast contact tracing systems have helped Australia contain new clusters in recent months. It has reported just under 29,300 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began.
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