Qld coronavirus: More COVID-19 restrictions eased with formals, gatherings, weddings and aged care residents to benefit
Dancing at formals and weddings, in-home gatherings of 40 and outings for aged care residents will be allowed as more COVID-19 restrictions in Queensland are eased. It comes as the state records two new cases of coronavirus.
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Students will be able to dance at their school formals, more people will be able to break out a boogie at weddings and aged care residents will enjoy more freedom as COVID-19 restrictions are eased in Queensland from this afternoon.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles today said there were two new cases in Queensland, both of them in hotel quarantine.
One is a miner recently returned to Cairns after being in Africa, the other is in hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast after arriving into Queensland from the US.
The Cairns case was among 17 miners recently returned to Queensland, two of them testing positive to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Queensland now has four active cases of the virus.
Mr Miles also confirmed that from 4pm this afternoon young people would be able to dance at their school formals, and 40 people will be able to take to the dance floor at weddings.
Parties and gatherings at homes have also been given a reprieve with 40 people now allowed to visit at one time.
He also said residents at nursing homes would also be allowed to go on excursions again under the easing of restrictions.
“If they’re able to and well enough, they can go out to the local RSL, to the shops and maybe out to a hairdresser,” Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.
Dr Young said the restrictions could be eased because of the good work Queenslanders had done during the pandemic.
But she urged people to remain alert to the possibility of the virus in the community and urged people to get tested if they exhibited symptoms.
She also urged people to continue to avoid shaking hands.
Dr Young said she believed Queensland will be able to live very successfully with COVID-19 going into the future.
“We just saw the most magnificent response to the last cluster… even this Townsville case, all of the teams involved came back to me and said ‘boy those restaurants had it so beautifully sorted’,” Dr Young said.
But the woman who has steered Queensland through the ongoing once-in-a-century pandemic, said Queenslanders would need to stay alert to the virus, suggesting the population would have to “live like our grandparents did”.
She called on people to continue to practice 1.5m of social distancing, if possible, and to be vigilant about handwashing.
“My grandmother certainly told me when I was young that I didn’t wash my hands enough: ‘Why didn’t you wash your hands before coming to lunch’?” Dr Young said.
Ms Young confirmed they could bring further restrictions forward as they did today if things keep going “really well.”
When asked about the possibility of a packed Gabba for the AFL Grand Final, Ms Young said while it’s unlikely, nothing is impossible.
“We agreed to 30,000 and that’s what they’re working towards very effectively,” Ms Young said.
The Chief Health Officer also highlighted the importance of sewage testing saying it can pick up one case in 10,000 people.
Ms Young couldn’t say for sure whether the traces of coronavirus found in sewage was from an active case, ships, or a previously active case who is still shedding the virus.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said as postal voters start voting from today, Deb Frecklington and Clive Palmer should release ‘all available information’ to Queenslanders.
He said they were being investigated by the electoral commission.
He also had a swing at Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying if he really wanted to have the National Cabinet meeting he could have.
“I think it’s really disappointing that the national cabinet was cancelled,” the Deputy Premier said.
“It’s a shame, he could’ve used the same secure room that the premier uses but he chose not to do so.”
Queensland’s update comes as Victoria also recorded just two new cases overnight and no deaths.
New South Wales has recorded five new cases.
