Commuters wearing protective face masks in accordance with new public health regulations in Sydney, Australia. File/Reuters

Australia’s Queensland state reported one new coronavirus case on Saturday linked to the highly contagious B117 UK mutant strain but authorities say the situation is not yet alarming.

The infected man is a close contact of a 26-year-old male who tested positive on Friday. Another 18 close contacts of the first case are self-isolating and getting tested.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged residents to maintain social-distancing and get tested.

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“We are not seeing large scale community transmission, this is a close contact,” she told reporters.

“We’re very comfortable where we are at the moment and if anything changes we will update the public.”

Aged care, hospitals, prisons, and disability care homes in the Brisbane City and Moreton Bay Council areas have been closed to visitors.

No other Australian state or territory has reported new cases of community transmission in recent days.

Australia has reported more than 22,200 local COVID-19 cases and 909 deaths since March 2020. The country has ranked among the top 10 in a COVID performance index for its successful handling of the pandemic.

Reuters