Overview
Since 5pm on Monday, March 29, residents of Greater Brisbane — which spans the Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands local government areas — have been under the region's second three-day lockdown of 2021. The reason: a new COVID-19 cluster that has arisen over the past week, and also spread to Byron Bay.
Thankfully, only a small number of new local cases have been identified in the past two days. Yes, that's excellent news. Accordingly, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that the stay-at-home conditions will end today, Thursday, April 1, as planned — and they'll actually lift five hours earlier than initially slated, with the lockdown now ending at 12pm.
So, Brisbanites will be able to leave their homes again once midday hits today — for any reason. The time has been shifted forward to avoid chaos on the roads this afternoon as the Easter long weekend begins.
"I understand a lot of families in the Greater Brisbane have made plans, and the last thing we want to see are accidents on our roads at 5pm this afternoon into the evening," said the Premier. "So, if you have plans, the lockdown is lifted from 12 noon today and I encourage people to take care on the roads."
But, as happened after January's lockdown, new restrictions will come into effect. They'll limit what you can do, where and with how many people. And yes, banning dancing again is one of them.
When Greater Brisbane went into lockdown on Monday, a number of rules were put in place across the rest of Queensland — and, as predicted at the time, they're now coming into effect in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands from 12pm today. They'll now apply across the entire state for the next 14 days, finishing at 12pm on Thursday, April 15.
There 30-person limit on at-home gatherings is back, and that cap includes folks who live with you. And, as well as banning dancing, standing up at cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs has been scrapped again. So, to eat, drink and hang out, you'll need to be seated. Businesses will also have to operate under the one person per two-square-metres rule.
Outdoor events, including those planned for the Easter long weekend, can go ahead — but only if they have a COVID-19-safe plan in place. That said, wearing masks is required where social distancing isn't possible.
Masks are sticking around in many situations, in fact. You'll always have to carry one with you, for starters. Plus, they must be worn in all indoor spaces other than your home, all indoor workplaces unless it is unsafe to do so, on public transport, in taxis and ride share vehicles, and outdoors when social distancing isn't possible.
The usual requests regarding social distancing, hygiene and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms all apply, too, as they have since March last year.
Queensland Health is maintaining an active register of locations that have been visited by positive COVID-19 cases, which you can check out on its website. You can also check out this nifty map that uses Queensland Health's data.
Extra testing clinics have been set up around the states — and you can find a rundown of clinic locations online as well.
The Greater Brisbane area will come out of lockdown from 12pm on Thursday, April 1. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. More details about the lockdown and associated restrictions can also be found on the Queensland Health website.