More than 10 million Australians have been ordered to stay at home due to the spread of the coronavirus, with Brisbane becoming the fourth major city to be under the measure.
A three-day general closure was ordered in Brisbane, after it was declared in Sydney, Perth and Darwin in the previous days, AFP reported.
"These are difficult decisions. We have imposed lockdowns in major cities because returnees from abroad are bringing the virus here," Queensland Premier Anastasija Palaszczuk said after Australia registered 23 cases of infection in the previous 24 hours.
Australia has largely succeeded in eliminating local transmission of the virus through a combination of border closures, mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving from overseas and rapid lockdowns.
The country is now facing the spread of the delta strain virus, which first appeared in India, and the public is unhappy about the slow pace of vaccination.
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