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Passengers heading to Queensland have scrambled to get off a packed plane in Sydney after a snap three day lockdown was declared for Brisbane.
Travellers were boarding the Jetstar flight when Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced Greater Brisbane and surrounding areas will return to lockdown from 5pm Monday after 10 new coronavirus cases.
Four of the new cases announced on Monday morning were locally-acquired, taking a growing community cluster to seven, sparking long queues at testing clinics as panic buying shoppers flocked to supermarkets.
The lockdown has thrown travel plans into chaos in lead up the Easter long weekend and April school holidays as Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia imposed restrictions for travellers arriving from the Sunshine state.
Footage filmed on the Jetstar plane obtained by Seven News captures the moment surprised passengers learned the news via loudspeaker from the pilot.
Many passengers are seen scrambling to retrieve on-board luggage from overhead lockers so they could alight from the plane prior to take-off from Sydney.
Jetstar passengers bound for Queensland were seen scrambling to get off the plane at Sydney Airport shortly after a snap lockdown was declared for Brisbane
Around one third of passengers chose to get off the plane after being informed about the impending lockdown.
‘Information we’re just getting now, just in the last 10 minutes about the lockdown situation in Brisbane, that they’ve just announced that Brisbane city and the surrounding areas are going into a three-day lockdown,’ the pilot can be heard in the footage.
‘With that in mind, some travellers are now choosing not to travel.
‘It’s up to you, you can offload the aircraft and you’ll have to talk the ground staff about possibly re-booking you onto another flight, and refunds available.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jetstar for comment.
The airline is reviewing its scheduled flights to and from Brisbane following Monday’s lockdown announcement.
Passengers travelling to and from Greater Brisbane in the coming days are urged to check the latest government advice/restrictions and complete any necessary documentation.
‘If your flight is cancelled, we’ll contact you directly to notify you of a range of alternative options, which may include a refund depending on the circumstances,’ the Jetstar website states.
Jetstar staff (pictured) were seen assisting passengers getting off the plane prior to take-off
Virgin Australia flights to and from Brisbane will operate as normal on Monday.
It advises all passengers not travelling within the next 72 hours to call back at a later stage as its hotline is inundated with calls from concerned customers.
‘Due to the evolving situation in Greater Brisbane, states and territories are implementing revised border restrictions,’ a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.
‘While services are currently operating as normal today, changes to customer demand and booking trends may require us to adjust our forward schedule.’
Qantas also announced on its website that the airline is currently dealing with a high volume of calls.
From 5pm Monday, residents in the Greater Brisbane and surrounding Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands areas will only be allowed to leave home for essential reasons such as work, shopping, care for people or exercise.
The lockdown has thrown travel plans into chaos and left the Queensland tourism industry in tatters in lead up to the April school holidays and Easter long weekend.
Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia have imposed border restrictions with Queensland.
Queensland travellers who enter Tasmania must undergo 14 days of quarantine whole those Western Australia must self-isolate for the same period.
Arrivals from Brisbane who have entered South Australia since March 20 must self-isolate until they receive a negative test result.
Travellers who have entered New South Wales since Saturday (March 27) who have been in Brisbane City Council or Moreton Bay Regional Council since March 11 must complete an online declaration form within 24 hours of crossing the border.
Motorists lined up for COVID testing at a Bowen Hills clinic in Brisbane after four more locally-acquired cases were announced on Monday, sparking a snap lockdown
The lockdown for Australia’s third largest city will last for at least three days ahead of the Easter long weekend.
‘There is now more community transmission, and these people have been out and about in the community, and that is of concern to Queensland Health,’ Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Monday.
‘This will also enable our health authorities to get on top of the contact tracing.’
‘This is a huge job now that we have to do because we’ve got more of this community transmission.’
‘I know this will mean some disruption to people’s lives, but we’ve done this before, and we’ve got through it over those three days in the past, and if everyone does the right thing I’m sure that we will be able to get through it again.’
Queensland residents living in the red-coloured areas (pictured) will be lockdown for three days from 5pm Monday
Panic buying shoppers flocked to supermarkets across Greater Brisbane after a three day lockdown was announced on Monday morning. Pictured are shoppers queuing outside a Woolworths in Brisbane
Source: DailyMail AU
