South Queensland wakes up on first full day of closure after state registers six new local COVID-19 cases

Southeast Queenslanders were awakened on their first day by three other blockages after registering six new cases gained instead of COVID-19 involving a high school student.

The new cases were confirmed to be of the highly contagious Delta type, and relate to a 17-year-old who tested positive for the virus on Friday.

New infections are the family members of that case, plus a tutor of one of those family members.

Home stay orders are now valid for Brisbane City, Moreton Bay Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Sunshine Coast.

They are currently set to end on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

“Stay home and do not go out unless it is absolutely critical,” Queensland Health Chief Jeanette Young said Saturday morning.

The state health minister, Yvette D’Ath, said she did not apologize for the speed and strictness of the orders.

“If you want to prevent the Delta virus from spreading, you have to do a lot and you have to move fast,” she said.

“Just over five days, we have a whole family of five people affected, and one of them passed it on to another teacher.

“In Sydney, we saw what happened. From one case, 38 days later they are in 3,000 cases from that person. Sadly, 13 people have died from that group. We have to get that right.

“We’ve been here before. We know what we have to do.”

Dr Young said it is hoped the blockade will last only three days, but that it will depend on adhering to the blocking rules.

The block extends to anyone who has been in one of the 11 LGAs since 1am on Saturday morning, so even if they have traveled since then to another part of Queensland, they must abide by the restrictions.

Tasmania has also closed its border for 11 LGAs. Visitors to the state from Queensland who have arrived since July 17 will also be under three-day stay-at-home orders.

“If you are in Tasmania and we expect that there are probably about 11,000 people who have traveled in the state, you should go home immediately and isolate yourself,” said Prime Minister Peter Gutwein.

Meanwhile, NSW Health has ordered anyone in NSW who has been to the 11 affected LGAs since July 21 to stay home for 14 days since they were last there, or until the notice is revoked.

The ACT government also has a home stay requirement for anyone who has been to the LGEC since July 21st. They should stay home until the blockage is completed or otherwise advised by ACT Health.

Victoria has declared 11 Queensland LGA red zones under the state permit system. It means Victorians returning from the LGA after 8pm on Saturday must be quarantined for 14 days and non-residents need an exemption to enter the state.

10-km border and masks in schools

Among the new rules is a 10-kilometer travel restriction to reduce the movement of people.

“I do not know today where this virus is in south-east Queensland. But wherever it is, I do not want it to go any further,” Dr Young said.

Exceptions to the 10-kilometer limit apply to compassionate circumstances, such as caring for a vulnerable person.

“Sure, use that common sense that I know people do … But just minimize movement, if you can,” Dr Young said.

People who do exercise can do this with a person who does not live with them.

Funerals and weddings in the secluded area are now limited to 10 people and hospitality is just cooking. Cinemas, hairdressers, gyms and places of worship should be closed.

All schools in the block area will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, while all staff and students of Indooroopilly High School and Ironside State School are in quarantine for two weeks.

Schools will be open Monday and Tuesday to the children of essential workers and to children who are vulnerable.

A pop-up testing clinic has been set up at Indooroopilly High School.

Health workers wipe out members of the public at a COVID-19 screening test station at Indooroopilly State High School in Brisbane

AAP

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has called on people to bring proof of residence as police control the 10-kilometer border.

“We, as always, will have an educational approach and work with people. So if you are trying to do the right thing, we will take care of you. If you choose to do the wrong thing, there are strong consequences.” , he said, referring to fines of $ 1,378.

He warned people against participating in any protests, adding that officers would monitor the events this weekend.

“I am also informed through our intelligence that there are people planning to protest tomorrow at the CBD in Brisbane. Can I really say clearly now is not the time. Now is not the time for protests in our community,” he said.

“We urge you not to continue with those protests. You can expect a police presence and you can expect the police to ensure that the health chief’s instructions are followed.”

A complete list of state exposure sites can be seen here.

Sports chaos

The announcement plunged some sports codes into chaos.

Three AFL matches have been moved: Saturday’s Gold Coast-Melbourne and Essendon-Sydney matches, plus Sunday’s GWS-Port Adelaide matches.

The Suns will now face the Demons at Marvel Stadium early Sunday afternoon as part of a double kick, with the Giants facing Power later in the same spot as Essendon host Sydney at MCG. All three matches will be played behind closed doors.

In the NRL, where 15 of the 16 competition teams are located in south-east Queensland, desperate efforts were made to hold Saturday’s three games before the decision to postpone them was made.

The league was still hoping to postpone those matches on Sunday, with the potential for teams to move to regional or interstate zones.

Super Netball competition is also impacted, as it has moved entirely to southeast Queensland to end its 2021 campaign following blockages in South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

In a statement, Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan confirmed that the competition would not be relocated again and hoped the season would end.

With AAP.