Coronavirus: ‘Still too early’ for regions to relax restrictions
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer says regions hoping to relax social restrictions will need to wait at least 28 days.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer says regions hoping to relax social restrictions will need to wait at least 28 days as doctors and civic leaders from Townsville agitate for a regional reopening after the city celebrated 12 days without a positive test for coronavirus.
Health boss Jeannette Young said the national cabinet wanted to see two 14-day incubation periods before considering lifting restrictions. She also said a cluster of previously undetected cases had been detected among asymptomatic lab workers at a hospital in Cairns, 350km north of Townsville, prompting wider testing.
About 80 doctors and 80 businesses based in Townsville have jointly called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to consider lifting restrictions in the region, which has had just two active cases of COVID-19.
Ms Palaszczuk said on Friday she would consider the idea in consultation with health advice.
“I will be looking very closely at the regions, our regional responses as well, and because Queensland is such a big state, I don’t think we can treat the state as a whole during this pandemic,” she said.
Business and tourism body Townsville Enterprise supports the call, saying good management and local conditions mean the region has been less affected than southeast Queensland. “We’re keen to explore how relatively remote areas with low incidence of coronavirus can have some restrictions lifted on a region-by-region basis, rather than one size fits all,” Townsville Enterprise CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said.
Carl Valentine, a partner in business advisory firm PVW Partners, is among the dozens of business leaders and doctors to co-sign the letter to Ms Palaszczuk asking her to consider implementing regional management zones to limit movements between regions and allow regionally relevant economic and social activities.
Mr Valentine said that given Townsville had gone 12 days without a new case, the next 16 days should be used to prepare for gradually lifting restrictions in line with local health advice.
“Hypothetically, in 16 days, things should start happening in Townsville, which is why I think it’s critically important that we are having a proper discussion about regional management zones now in anticipation of this,” he said.
Federal MP Bob Katter has supported closing the region to the rest of the state to stop the spread of the virus.
LNP senator Susan McDonald, who lives in Townsville, disagreed and said the relaxing of restrictions should be statewide. “Wherever you decide to put the imaginary line, it will create problems there,” she said.
University of Queensland virologist Ian Mackay urged policymakers against “impatience” to lift coronavirus restrictions, warning a “second wave” outbreak could start from a single case and devastate the nation’s health system.
“The real problem here is impatience, the need to have a job, and pay the bills, and get on with life. We don’t want to see the curve take off again,” Dr Mackay said.
Additional reporting: Sarah Elks
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