Covid Queensland: Chief health officer explains likelihood of mask mandates, border closures

Queensland’s chief health officer has provided an insight into how the state’s fourth Covid wave will unfold and what mandates are possible before Christmas.

A fourth Covid-19 wave for the year has escalated Queensland’s Covid-19 response to “amber” under the state’s new traffic light system, but the chief health officer has made clear he cannot and will not issue any “mandates”.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard has also said it is “unlikely” the latest wave — a “soup” of Omicron sub-variants XXB and BQ. 1 — would lead to an escalation to “red” on the three tiered system.

There are 203 people hospitalised for Covid-19 across the state, a near doubling of patient numbers week-on-week.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard does not expect mask mandates to return to Queensland during the state’s fourth Covid wave. Picture: Dan Peled

Dr Gerrard said under the move to “amber” the advice was for everyone to wear a mask in crowded indoor settings where social distancing is not possible, including public transport.

People who are vulnerable to Covid-19, like older Australians and the immunocompromised, should also consider wearing masks.

He made clear this was only advice, and were not enforceable rules.

Dr Gerrard said masks would be required at hospitals and other health facilities like GP clinics — a rule that has been in place since the pandemic began and put in place by the facilities themselves.

Queensland’s chief health officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Under new laws which came into effect on November 1 the chief health officer’s ability to declare public health directions has also been greatly limited.

Queensland’s emergency declaration for Covid-19 also ended on October 31.

Dr Gerrard cannot, under the new framework, order Covid-19 lockdowns, that borders be shut, or that people arriving via plane be forced into quarantine.

But he does have powers to issue a public health direction to wear masks in vulnerable settings, require workers in certain settings like healthcare be vaccinated, or for close contacts and cases to isolate.

This can only be done if Covid-19 presents a serious risk to the public health system or if national cabinet directs the chief health officer to do so — a much higher threshold than during the throes of Covid-19.

“I cannot see a circumstance under which we would do anything, having any additional mandates, between now and Christmas,” he said.

Dr Gerrard said the bar for hitting “red” on the traffic light system was if the hospital system was being “significantly challenged” by Covid-19 patients numbers.

But he said it was “unlikely” the fourth wave would be bad enough to warrant going to “red”.

“I think it’s unlikely, I think … most of the modelling now has become very difficult because of the number of variables involves, we hope it will be a short, sharp wave,” he said.

“But we just don’t know.”