Would-be Easter travellers have been thrust into chaos following the announcement of Brisbane’s snap three-day lockdown to combat a cluster of coronavirus cases.

On Tuesday, eight new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were announced overnight, with the latest outbreak now totalling 15 infections.

University of Queensland student Melina Haritopoulou was looking forward to visiting Melbourne and being with her mother and sister during her mid-semester break, however she is left stranded.

“During the last border closure on 24 January I had to rush to the airport as Queensland slammed its borders shut to Melbourne because I wanted to avoid hotel quarantine. As a result I took any flight I could find and ended up in Townsville (1,500 km away) as all Brisbane flights were full,” she said.

“Now, it’s Victoria shutting borders.

“It’s very disappointing not knowing when I’ll see my mother again, and my father is in Greece where things are even worse.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a snap lockdown on Monday for the Greater Brisbane area, which includes Moreton Bay, Redlands City and Ipswich whereas Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton declared Brisbane a “red zone” requiring residents travelling from Brisbane to Melbourne to quarantine for 14 days.

The lockdown is expected to end on Thursday, just before the Good Friday public holiday.

“I still haven’t cancelled my flights. I guess I’m hoping against hope that maybe things will get better by Thursday when the three-day lockdown ends. But I doubt it as cases are still growing,” Ms Haritopoulou said, aware of the difficulties in the situation.

READ MORE: Brisbane goes into a snap three-day lockdown

Melina Haritopoulou’s travel plans were thwarted, and she’ll have to be patient to be with her family when COVID-19 restrictions end.

The announcement was made just as Australians were preparing for the first holidays in Australia without border restrictions. One Jetstar plane was about to depart from Sydney and emptied by a third after the pilot informed passengers of the impending lockdown.

At least 11 incoming flights from Brisbane to Melbourne airport and another 11 outgoing flights were cancelled on Tuesday.

Victoria has recorded 32 consecutive COVID-19 free days, but the Queensland cluster continues to grow with two more cases having been discovered.

The Brisbane men’s AFL team is grounded in Melbourne, whereas AFL is planning to shift a number of games. NRL has called back players planning to play in the Queensland Cup comp this weekend.

Byron Bay, NSW, and Gladstone in central Queensland were declared orange zones on Monday, meaning that anyone in these areas after 26 March needing to get a COVID-19 test and stay in their homes until they receive a negative test result.