Covid vax restrictions scrapped for aged care, disability accommodation and correctional facilities

Mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirements are to be scrapped for workers and visitors at a number of significant facilities including schools, aged care homes and airports.

Mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirements will be scrapped for visitors to aged care facilities, disability accommodation and correctional facilities.

The vaccine mandate for workers at schools, child care centres, kindergartens, police watch houses and airports will also be lifted.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said decisions around mandatory vaccinations would now be decided by employers.

The lifted restrictions will come into effect from 1am, June 30. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“Mandatory vaccines are still required for workers in healthcare, hospitals, aged care and disability care,” she told parliament.

“The public health direction requiring post-arrival testing for those travelling to Queensland from international locations is also removed.”

The lifted restrictions will come into effect from 1am, June 30.

The Premier said the decision had been made following advice from Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard.

“We have stood strong. And Queensland has remained strong,” she said.

“Almost alone in the world, we were able to vaccinate the majority of our population before Covid arrived.

“Restrictions that protected us have eased in sensible stages.”

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath also announced Queensland Health’s stand-alone fever and testing clinics would now be winding down.

“The staff who have been operating fever clinics will now return to their normal roles to help manage growing demand for our health services,” she said.

“We are at the stage of the pandemic at which we can and should direct our health resources to where they are needed most.

“Fever clinics were always a temporary measure.”

Ms D’Ath said PCR testing would still be available at a “small number” of Queensland Health locations, but the focus would now be on RAT kits.

“In total, 108 stand-alone testing facilities were rolled out during the pandemic, with the first two established on the Gold Coast and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital,” she said.

“Public sites have performed around 4.3 million tests throughout the course of the pandemic.”