BRISBANE, Australia (AP) – Australia is halving the number of passengers allowed to arrive by plane, to spread the spread of an extremely contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in Britain.
A cleaner at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday is the first person to be infected with the variant found in the Australian community. Other cases were detected among travelers while in a hotel quarantine, where there is little risk of spread in the community.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said state leaders had agreed that international arrivals to New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia airports would be halved by 15 February. Arrivals at Victoria were already relatively low and would remain unchanged.
Quarantine workers will be tested daily for the virus.
Authorities in Brisbane are shutting down Australia’s third most populous city for three days from Friday night to limit the spread.
Australian Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said everyone who had been in Brisbane since January 2 should also be segregated.
“Our main problem is to keep Australians safe and to make sure that this particular tension is not the one spreading in Australia,” Kelly said. “The reason is because it will be much harder to control.”
The masks will also be mandatory for the first time in Brisbane and some surrounding municipalities, the Queensland government said.
The head of state, Jeannette Young, noted that the more contagious nature of the variant made it harder to control the outbreak of the UK. “So we have to work really fast. We have to find every case now, “Young added.
The woman’s diagnosis ends almost four months from no local infection in Queensland.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
A state of emergency took effect in and around Tokyo on Friday as coronavirus cases increased. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga issued the statement on Thursday. It runs until February 7 and calls for restaurants and bars to close at 8pm and for people to stay home and not mix in crowds. The statement does not imply any fines. But it works as a strong request while Japan keeps juggling its economy going. Shopping malls and schools will remain open. Movie theaters, museums and other events will be asked to reduce attendance. Places that refuse the request will be published on a list, according to officials, while those who comply will be eligible for assistance. Suga also promised more help for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. The Japanese military is ready to help, and efforts are being made to get a vaccine approved and delivered, he added.