DR DOUG QUARRY
The lockdown follows a cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane testing positive yesterday (7 January, 2021) to the UK B.1.1.7 more infectious UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 after having been in the community for five days.
All residents must stay at home except for essential work, providing healthcare for a vulnerable person, essential shopping, or to exercise in their local neighbourhood. Masks are mandatory if leaving home.
Background
Australia has an extremely low level of community transmission of COVID and Australia’s borders are virtually closed to inbound and outbound passengers.
There are over 20,000 Australians overseas waiting to return to Australia. About 2,000 Australians are allowed into Australia per week, however, all must undergo two-weeks of self-paid, government-supervised quarantine in a nominated hotel.
Australia has had several cases of the B.1.1.7 in people in quarantine, however this is the first time that it has been found to have spread to a quarantine hotel worker and possibly further into the community.
