Queensland has recorded 24 new Covid-19 cases as face mask mandates are reintroduced.
Residents must wear the extra layer of protection when visiting all retail settings, hospitals, aged care facilities, public transport, rideshare and airports.
‘I’m asking Queenslanders once again, it’s a small price to pay for your freedoms,’ premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Friday.
Queensland has recorded 24 new Covid-19 cases as face mask mandates are reintroduced
‘I’m asking Queenslanders once again, it’s a small price to pay for your freedoms,’ premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Friday
‘We’re doing this to slow the spread of the virus… we know Christmas is the busiest time of the year for people shopping and getting ready.
‘We don’t want to see a massive escalation [in cases] over Christmas and New Year.’
The 24 new cases announced on Saturday is an uptick from the 20 reported on Friday and 22 announced on Thursday.
The face mask mandate won’t apply in venues where a vaccine mandate came into effect from 5am on Friday such as cafes, restaurants, nightclubs, stadiums and theme parks.
Masks will also not be required in outdoor settings or in workplaces, the premier said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the new mandate will likely remain in place until the state reached 90 per cent of the eligible population with two doses of a Covid vaccine.
‘We’re looking good to reach 90 per cent single dose over Christmas, and double dose some time in January,’ she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said ‘there won’t be any lockdowns over Christmas’.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said he didn’t think the mask mandate would be ‘too onerous’ for people.
‘Mask wearing is not just about protecting yourself, it is also protect about protecting others,’ he said.
‘It works both ways, so it is a socially desirable thing to be wearing a mask and I think it’s somewhat anti-social to not be wearing a mask in crowded environments.’
Masks are required in retail settings, hospitals, aged care, public transport, rideshare and airports
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said police have already dealt with eight call-outs regarding the vaccine mandate since it came into effect at venues.
She also sounded a warning to venue owners who have spoken of publicly ignoring the mandate.
‘It’s disappointing that people have done that, but they have given police very good intelligence, so they will definitely be getting a visit,’ Ms Carroll said.
The premier said the dramatic escalation in cases in NSW and the fact more than 100,000 border passes to enter Queensland had been received from people in interstate hotspots made the reintroduction of masks necessary.
Visitors from NSW, Victoria and the ACT were welcomed back to Queensland by road and air last Monday, provided they were fully vaccinated, possessed a valid border pass and had proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arriving in Queensland.
Visitors from NSW, Victoria and the ACT were welcomed back to Queensland by road and air last Monday, but the state is on edge about the new Covid cases the travellers will inevitably bring
Queensland Health has added new contact tracing sites to its website.
These include Virgin flight VA511 from Sydney to the Gold Coast on December 15 between 8am-9.40am. All passengers, excluding Rows 28-32, are considered casual contacts and are asked to quarantine and get tested.
Those in rows 28-32 are considered close contacts.
Passengers sitting in rows 23-27 of Qantas flight QF756 from Brisbane to Townsville on Tuesday, December 14 between 3.32pm – 5.19pm are also considered close contacts of a positive case and must quarantine even after receiving a negative PCR test.
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