Advertisment

General News

27 September, 2020

Restrictions easing across Queensland

On Friday morning Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the easing of restrictions across the state.

By Phil Brandel

Restrictions easing across Queensland - feature photo

On Friday morning September 25 Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared it to be a ‘very happy Friday’ after Queensland recorded no new COVID-19 cases for three days in a row.

Due to the lower than expected numbers, the Premier announced the easing of restrictions including the number of people allowed at outdoor dining venues across the state from October 1.

The new easing of restrictions includes increasing the density of one person per four square meters to one person per two square meters at outdoor venues and dining establishments.

“More people will be allowed to meet their friends in a local beer garden or at an outdoor café.” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Theme parks and zoos will also be able to welcome more people.

End of year sports and school events can also increase numbers from 500 to 1000 people outdoors, but they must have a COVID safe checklist.

The announcement regarding the easing of restrictions was overshadowed 24 hours later when Queensland Health reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, September 26.

All three new cases were acquired overseas and were being managed by Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

Two of the cases were crew members who tested positive on a foreign-owned cargo ship off the Far North Coast. The crew members were working on a bauxite ore ship 20 nautical miles off the coast of Weipa.

A spokesperson from the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service said that the two crew members had been transferred to Cairns Hospital for treatment, where they remained in isolation.

“All other crew members on board the vessel have been tested and returned negative results,” the CHHHS spokesperson said.

“The other crew members will remain on the vessel.”

The third case, a male aged 40-49 years, is a returned traveller who tested positive while in hotel quarantine in Cairns.

He is a resident of Western Australia, while all the other passengers on his incoming flight into Queensland were also in quarantine.

As of 8pm, September 27 Queensland had eight active cases of COVID-19 with 1,141 recovered cases.

The most up-to-date reliable information is available on the Queensland Health website at www.health.qld.gov.au/coronavirus.

 

Advertisment

Most Popular

1