‘Tough on everyone’: Flights in doubt

NCA NewsWire understands the country’s major airlines are reviewing existing flight schedules to determine if less flights will be needed to the Sunshine State capital.At 10.20am on Friday no changes had been made to flights to and from Brisbane from other major cities. The Queensland government and the state’s health department announced a three-day lockdown for the country’s third most populous city after a cleaner at the Brisbane Grand Chancellor, which is being used as a hotel quarantine facility, tested positive for COVID-19.

Health officials confirmed it was the mutated strain plaguing the UK and was 70 per cent more infectious than previous versions of the virus. The lockdown will include the council areas of Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands and begin at 6pm on Friday till 6pm on Monday.Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state would be “going hard and going early” to get on top of a potential cluster outbreak. “It is going to be tough on everyone for these three days. What we are seeing in the UK at the moment and other places around the world is high rates of infection from this particular strain,” Ms Palaszczuk said.“There are no second chances with this pandemic. Three days is better than 30.” Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have been contacted for comment.