Major changes coming to coronavirus rules for millions of Australians starting TODAY – and one much-hated restriction is on its way out
- Queensland will roll back coronavirus restrictions brought in two weeks ago
- The changes mean stand up drinking will be allowed in pubs as well as dancing
- Face masks will no longer be mandatory and guests at home gatherings will rise
- The number of guests at funerals and wedding will substantially increase
- Visitors will also be welcome back to hospitals, aged care homes and prisons
Pictured: Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk
Millions of Australians will finally be able to stand up while having a beer and ditch facemasks as the Queensland government winds back Covid restrictions two weeks after an outbreak shut down Brisbane.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the Sunshine State would ease a number of measures put in place at the end of March from 6am on Thursday morning, allowing Queenslander a lot more freedom.
Under the new rules face masks will no longer be mandatory, dancing in nightclubs will be permitted, stadiums will be able to operate at 100 capacity and visitors will once again be welcome at aged care homes, hospitals and correctional facilities.
Weddings and funerals can have 200 people in attendance under the one person per two sq/m rule.
The cap on guests at private house parties has been elevated to 100 people and there are will be no restrictions on outdoor gatherings.
Under the new rules face masks will no longer be mandatory. Pictured: A woman in Brisbane’s West End is seen in a face mask on April 1, 2021
‘We can once again go to pubs and restaurants and stand up and have a drink,’ Ms Palaszczuk said.
‘It has not been easy … But by doing that we’ve kept everyone safe.
‘I know it’s been very tough on families who have had loved ones in hospitals, in aged care facilities and disability homes, so families are going to be reunited.’
Just two weeks ago on March 29, Queensland was thrown into chaos after two million people in the Greater Brisbane area were ordered into a snap three-day lockdown.
Two separate Covid clusters had spread from the Princess Alexandra Hospital putting hundreds of venues in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales on high alert.
The 19 cases of community transmission were sparked after an infected return traveller was treated at the hospital by a doctor and a nurse who later tested positive.
Dancing in nightclubs will be permitted from Thursday. Pictured: A couple are pictured walking by the Brisbane River on March 31
‘We can once again go to pubs and restaurants and stand up and have a drink,’ Ms Palaszczuk said
Although the premier said it’s ‘great news’ life can return to normal in Queensland she urged residents to remain cautious and said face masks will still have to be worn in some sensitive setting like airports or when social distancing is not possible.
‘If you’re going to go into a crowded area or a shopping centre or public transport and you can’t socially distance, have your mask and if you feel like putting it on please feel free to do that,’ she said.
The easing of restrictions comes as Australia’s national Covid vaccine rollout was thrown into turmoil last week, after medicine regulators ruled the AstraZeneca jab should not be given to anyone under 50 due to the risk of blood clotting.
Australia had been relying on the Oxford University-developed vaccine to make up the bulk of its rollout.
Stadiums that hold sporting fixtures and events will be able to operate at 100 capacity. Pictured: Shoppers leave Woolworths at Newstead in Brisbane during lockdown
Visitors will once again be welcome at aged care homes, hospitals and correctional facilities. Pictured: A man is seen crossing an empty Edward Street in the CBD of Brisbane on March 30
Now the federal government is scrambling to secure millions of doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which aren’t expected to arrive until the final quarter of this year.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday he plans to hold weekly National Cabinet meetings with state leaders and health chiefs to address the bungled vaccine rollout.
‘The Australian public needs confidence that everybody is working together,’ Ms Palaszczuk said in response to the announcement.
Queensland recorded two cases of coronavirus on Wednesday.
Both infections were discovered in hotel quarantine and believed to have originated in Papua New Guinea.
Queensland recorded two cases of coronavirus on Wednesday. Pictured: People wearing face masks are seen in the CBD of Brisbane, Tuesday, March 30, 2021
The federal government is scrambling to secure millions of doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which aren’t expected to arrive until the final quarter of this year. Pictured: A general view of the Nerang (Kulwan) Respiratory Clinic Queensland