Masks, restrictions scrapped as 5k new cases, five deaths recorded

The Premier has announced that masks will no longer be required in shops, workplaces, schools and hospitality venues, and density limits will be scrapped from March 4, as Queensland recorded 5583 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths overnight.

Masks will no longer be mandated in most Queensland venues from next month and density limits will be scrapped, as the state recorded 5583 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths overnight.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed masks will no longer be required in shops, workplaces, schools and hospitality venues from 6pm on Friday, March 4.

They must still be worn on public transport, in hospitals, disability care, prisons, aged care, airports and planes.

Schools will be allowed to host assemblies and excursions, while restrictions on visitors to schools will also be lifted.

Ms Palaszczuk said density limits will be scrapped in food courts, hairdressers, weddings, funerals, gyms, private venues and universities, and there will no longer be a cap on the number of people you can have in your home.

Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed masks will no longer be required in shops, workplaces, schools and hospitality venues. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

She said Queenslanders should still wear masks, however, if they felt more comfortable doing so.

“If you feel vulnerable, you should wear one. If you want to wear one, you should wear one,” the Premier said.

Ms Palaszczuk said as restrictions ease, parents who are yet to vaccinate their children should do so.

“This is all about getting our lives back to a new normal,” she said.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard will hold his last daily Covid-19 press conference on March 1, and will only reappear when needed.

Covid-19 statistics will still be published each day.

“The story of this pandemic is not yet over, but we hope a brighter chapter awaits,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

She said the Government was cautiously optimistic the hospitalisations and deaths had peaked.

There are 11 people currently on ventilators in ICU, and 91.6 per cent of Queenslanders have received two doses of the vaccine.

It comes as health authorities say the resumption of elective surgery before the end of the month is “on track” as the sector is further bolstered by the return of staff impacted by Covid-19.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said she would meet with senior health officials this week to discuss easing operational measures introduced to manage the Omicron wave after 4114 new infections were reported on Monday along with six virus-related deaths.

She said the resumption of elective surgery would likely be phased-in over the coming weeks but noted a number of hospitals across Brisbane were permitted to continue operations in individual cases, which meant the backlog was less impacted than initially feared.

“Things are looking on track that we can lift our restrictions on elective surgery in our hospitals,” Ms D’Ath said.

“Some of our hospitals have already been bringing some of their elective surgery online in individual cases but our statewide suspension of elective surgery is still in place until the end of the month.”

The chaos caused by the summer outbreak is easing and the health sector is resuming to normal operations, Ms D’Ath said. Picture: David Clark

The continuation of surgery on a case-by-case basis throughout the summer’s outbreak has allowed the state to avoid an unmanageable backlog of patients, according to Australian Medical Association Queensland president Chris Perry.

“In Queensland, people don’t wait excessively compared to some of the other jurisdictions,” he told The Courier-Mail.

Both Dr Perry and the Health Minister were buoyant the sector was returning to normal operations after the number of positive or close contacts who are out of the workforce across health and ambulance services fell to 1361, down from 1817 in a week and significantly lower than the peak of more than 6000.

But Ms D’Ath warned Queensland is “going to continue to have Covid patients in our hospitals for some time to come and that’s on top of our ever-increasing demand”.

In the coming days, the Palaszczuk government is also expected to meet with chief health officer John Gerrard to confirm the easing of Covid restrictions including the use of masks and potentially vaccine mandates, but Ms D’Ath insisted this shouldn’t be interpreted as a finish line for anti-vaxxers holding out for a policy shift.

“People shouldn’t be making that assumption,” she said.

Of the six deaths reported on Monday, two were in their 60s, one was in their 70s and three were in their 80s. One was unvaccinated, four had received two doses of the vaccine and only one had been boosted.

One was in residential aged care, lifting the total number of deaths in care facilities to 241.

Originally published as Masks, restrictions scrapped as 5k new cases, five deaths recorded