Overview
The Greater Brisbane area is going into lockdown again, with stay-at-home conditions coming into effect from 4pm today, Saturday, July 31, in the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim Local Government Areas. This is all very familiar by now, given that Brisbane has previously been in lockdown in January, March and June this year alone; however, this time, there's a considerable change.
Under the new rules, a travel limit will be implemented — so you'll only be permitted to go shopping or exercise within ten kilometres of your house. Residents in these 11 LGAs can only leave home for four reasons anyway: to get essential goods; for essential work if you can't work from home, and for school or childcare; for exercise, and only with one person who isn't in your household; and for healthcare, including to get a COVID-19 vaccination, or to provide help, care or support. But, when it comes to buying essentials or working out, that ten-kilometre radius will be in effect.
Accordingly, if you're currently scrambling to find quick ways to map out your ten-kilometre zone, that's understandable. There are a few easy ways to check out your household's government-approved travel radius, but none have proved quite as popular as KM From Home. The website originally launched in Ireland back in March, when that country introduced its own travel restrictions — and was then jumped on by Melburnians back in August 2020, during its extended lockdown last year.
The online map is free and easy to use — simply centre it to your address, select a ten-kilometre radius and you'll see a big red or blue bubble encompassing the zone you're free to travel in under the Queensland Government's new rules.
You'll find other radius apps out there as well, including the likes of Map Developers. Alternatively, if you've got a Garmin watch, you can download a range warning and it'll alert you when you're closing in on a certain distance from your run's starting point.
Want to check a specific shopping centre or park to see if it falls in your ten-kilometre zone? There's a function on the Google Maps app that allows you to measure a distance as the crow flies. On desktop, simply right click on a location on the map, select 'measure distance' and then click anywhere else on the map and it'll show you exactly how far the address is from your starting point.
Under the new rules, you can only exercise with your household members or one other person who is not from your household. All exercising and shopping must be done within ten kilometres of your home, of course.
Eleven LGAs in the Greater Brisbane area will go into lockdown from 4pm on Saturday, July 31 until at least 4pm on Tuesday, August 3. 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.
Images: Km From Home