Overview
Less than a month ago, Queensland eased a number of COVID-19 restrictions, only to tighten them again not once but twice just a couple of days later. For the Sunshine State, it's definitely been a chaotic few weeks regarding measures to contain the pandemic, with parts of the region also undergoing lockdown conditions. When 6am hits on Friday, June 16, however, Queensland will start loosening its limits and caps once again.
That means that the state is rolling back its current restrictions regarding gatherings, venues, dancing and masks — so great ready for bigger parties, more folks hanging out in the great outdoors, and busier bars, cafes, restaurants and venues. They'll all become a reality in Queensland from Friday, after the State has reported four days in a row without any locally acquired COVID-19 cases.
Wondering what's changing? There'll no longer be any limits on how many people can gather in homes or outdoors — although if you are having more than 100 folks over to your house, you'll need to keep a list of attendees.
Another big shift that'll hit at the same time: amending the rules for hospitality businesses, with a three people per four-square-metres capacity cap coming into effect. That'll apply to clubs, pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as to galleries, museums, convention centres and places of worship. If these types of venues have seated and ticketed capacity, they can fill those areas to 100 percent, too.
And, dancing is coming back as well — after a few weeks of Queensland resembling Footloose.
Masks will no longer be required anywhere other than airports and on planes, and there'll be no restrictions on hospitals and aged care either.
If you're wondering why the changes won't come into effect until Friday, Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said that it's due to the numbers still in home quarantine at present. "I have too many people in home quarantine, and if any of those people were, for whatever reason, to be out and about, it could mean that we have got infectious people. There is just too many. I need more results," she said. "You have got to remember, the Alpha and the Delta variant, the incubation period for both of those is 14 days so we have just got to wait until the majority of those people have been tested and got through quarantine. There is just too many."
Queenslanders are asked to keep social distancing, maintaining the hygiene practices that have been in place since March 2020, and checking the state's list of exposure sites — and to get tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms.
For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
Top image: Atlanta Bell.