Major changes to funerals as 0 new cases recorded

There have been no new cases of coronavirus in Queensland overnight, with the State Government moving to ease ‘heartbreaking’ restrictions on funerals.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced there were no new coronavirus cases in Queensland overnight as the government reveals major changes to the number of people allowed at funerals.

Ms Palaszczuk and Health Minister Steven Miles flagged changes to restrictions on the number of people attending funerals with 100 mourners able to attend from tomorrow, although contact information will need to be provided and social distancing observed.

“To be able to now allow up to 100 people ... provided records are kept ... we can do that safely while allowing people to grieve their loved ones,” Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said.

Mr Miles said implementing COVID-19 restrictions for funerals had been one of the hardest to do.

“We’ve received hundreds of heartbreaking stories from families wanting to have more people to grieve their loved ones,” he said.

“It’s an event that people don’t get to choose the timing of so they can’t put it off as they can other events.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young again urged people to stay at home if they are unwell.

Funerals will not need to be approved by health authorities however organisers will need to keep a list of those who attend and hold onto it for eight weeks.

Dr Young said weddings were still considered a gathering which means they are still restricted to 20 people.

Mr Miles said Queensland’s pathology services passed a significant milestone in the past 24 hours, with more than 250,000 tests for COVID-19 having now been undertaken.

It comes as cases in the state remain low, with only five active cases in Queensland from a total of 1065, and questions continue about when the state will reopen.

Dr Young yesterday said the Queensland border could open even earlier than July 10, with plans for a “travel bubble” already in the works.

Dr Young said “unless of course something was very different either way”, the July 10 date stood.

“If things were a lot better then of course we could bring that date forward, as did happen for this month’s stage two,” she said.

“Or if something were to happen interstate, I’m sure everyone would expect that we then push that date out.”

Mr Miles said “some work” had been done on how a travel bubble with other states including NSW might occur should Victorian cases remain higher than elsewhere in the country.