Queensland Health has broadened its ban on visitors to aged care homes to more areas of the state including the Logan City, Redland City, Gold Coast and Scenic Rim LGAs as Victoria’s community outbreaks continue to threaten other states.

“This means these facilities are not permitted to accept visitors due to the increased risk of infection. There will also be an increase in screening for COVID-19 and a limitation on staff transfers between facilities,” the State’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said.

The health authorities had already restricted visitors to homes in the Brisbane and Ipswich areas last week after two women returned from Melbourne and didn’t self-isolate tested positive for COVID-19.

A man who attended a Korean restaurant in Sunnybank visited by the two women then tested positive. He had dined at the restaurant with his wife and sister, who are both nurses at Bolton Clarke’s Fairview aged care home in Pinjarra Hills, 17km southwest of the Brisbane CBD.

The facility went into lockdown with all 105 residents have been isolated in their rooms before both nurses and the residents returned negative results.