Two more Brisbane schools exposed as COVID-19 outbreak spreads

Two more Brisbane high schools have been added to a rapidly-growing list of COVID-19 exposure sites this morning as south-east Queensland residents wake to their first full day of lockdown.

Brisbane Boys Grammar School and Brisbane Girls Grammar School have been closed and staff, students and parents who attended between Wednesday and Friday sent into isolation.

A student at Brisbane Boys Grammar has tested positive, the school has confirmed, while an infectious parent attended an Open Day at the girls' high school on Friday.

READ MORE: Doubts cast over the Ekka as snap lockdown begins

Queensland's Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced the snap three-day lockdown at a press conference yesterday after six new COVID-19 cases were uncovered in the region.

Residents now anxiously await news of new cases today, as the list of close contact exposure sites grows.

The new infections are all centred around a 17-year-old student at Indooroopilly State High School.

READ MORE: McDonald's and Bunnings among latest Queensland exposure sites

There are currently seven infections in the cluster linked to the high schooler, with yesterday's cases including the student's parents, her siblings, a teacher and a medical student who tutored her.

It's understood the medical student also attended a number of hospitals while infectious, forcing staff there into isolation.

A lengthy list of exposure sites released by Queensland health authorities includes bus routes to and from the University of Queensland and Princess Alexandra Hospital, a shopping centre in Indooroopilly and the F block at Southbank TAFE on Wednesday.

Indooroopilly State High School has confirmed that three confirmed COVID-19 cases attended the school last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

All students and staff are considered close contacts and must quarantine at home for 14 days.

New Queensland outbreak ‘very different’ to previous COVID-19 incursions

Also on the list of COVID-19 exposure sites is the nearby school, St Peters Lutheran College.

The cases have been linked to two returned travellers in hotel quarantine via genome sequencing of the virus, but health authorities are been unable to establish any direct contact between them and the new cluster.

Queensland has had numerous community COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with the virus leaking through from interstate, hotel quarantine and airport staff, infectious disease expert Dr Paul Griffin warns this outbreak is markedly different.

"There's a lot of concerning elements about this, including where these people have been, how many exposure sites there are, how many people are already infected as a result," he said.

"So I do think we need a comprehensive and swift range of mitigation strategies, which is what we've seen."

READ MORE: Snap Queensland COVID-19 lockdown: What you can and can't do

Queensland LGAs in lockdown from July 31

Eleven local government areas are subject to the new lockdown, which kicked in at 4pm yesterday and is the strictest yet seen in Queensland.

The only permitted reasons to leave home are: to buy essentials, such as groceries and shopping, work if you can't work from home, exercise within 10 kilometres of your home and healthcare, including vaccinations.

Only the children of essential workers can attend school.

The lockdown announcement has cast doubt over whether Brisbane's long-awaited Royal Queensland Show will go ahead.

Preparations are on hold for the Ekka for 24 hours as organisers seek more clarity around the current outbreak.



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