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HEALTH-VIRUS-AUSTRALIA
Australia’s Brisbane lifts snap virus lockdown ahead of Easter
BRISBANE, Australia, April 1, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Stay-at-home orders for
more than two million people in Australia’s third-biggest city Brisbane were
lifted Thursday, ending a snap coronavirus lockdown just ahead of the
traditionally busy Easter holidays.
The three-day lockdown ordered Monday saw schools, restaurants and bars
forced to close after an outbreak in Brisbane, with health officials saying
it was necessary to stop the virus spreading and bolster contact tracing.
It was the latest in a series of mini lockdowns in Australian cities this
year, which authorities say have quickly brought virus outbreaks under
control and avoided more onerous measures.
Just one new case was detected in Brisbane on Thursday, taking the number
of cases to 14, allowing restrictions to be eased.
Masks will be mandatory in public spaces while restrictions on gatherings
and dancing will also remain in place.
“We’re not out of the woods yet so… for the next two weeks if we all do
the right thing, we can get through this together,” state Premier Annastacia
Palaszczuk said.
The news was expected to provide relief for the beleaguered tourism sector
in Queensland — known as Australia’s “Sunshine State” for its inviting
weather — with the popular destination now fully open to visitors just ahead
of Easter holidays beginning Friday.
However, Bluesfest, a major music festival in Byron Bay, was cancelled
just hours ahead of its planned start Thursday after a positive case linked
to the Brisbane outbreak was recorded in the New South Wales coastal town.
Australia has been relatively successful in curbing the spread of
coronavirus, with only one nationwide lockdown during the pandemic so far and
most regions now enjoying few restrictions.
The country has reported around 30,000 Covid-19 cases and fewer than 1,000
deaths in total out of a population of 25 million — including those detected
in quarantine for overseas travellers.
But it is one of the few wealthy nations to have an extremely limited
vaccination rollout, with the roughly 700,000 doses administered to date
falling far short of an initial plan to jab four million people by the end of
March.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0804 hrs