Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, on Saturday went into a three-day strict lockdown after the discovery of a virulent strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, linked to Britain. A variant that emerged in South Africa was found in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, in a hotel quarantine. But given the new variants, the government on Friday cut the number of travellers from overseas, and required negative COVID-19 tests from those boarding planes and more testing at local quarantine facilities. “So long as people are travelling, the risk of the virus seeping into the community is already there,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a news conference. But officials said that they could not rule out extending the three-day lockdown if more cases emerge.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 09, 2021 03:11 UTC