Some of the coronavirus restrictions for people in South-East Queensland have all of a sudden reverted to some of the stricter measures similar to those from a few months ago.
With the tweaked rules coming into effect immediately due to an outbreak at a youth detention centre in Wacol, here are some of the key details from this morning's announcement.
Who is affected by the new Queensland restrictions?
The strictest measures are in place for people in Greater Brisbane, which takes in eight Local Government Areas: Brisbane City, Ipswich, Logan, the Scenic Rim, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay and Redland City.
Broadly, it goes as far east as Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island, just short of Toowoomba to the west, stops before Kingaroy in the north-west, and ends at the NSW border in Mount Barney National Park (east of Warwick) in the south.
Despite extending as far north as the Sunshine Coast and as far south as the Gold Coast, the profile of Greater Brisbane doesn't take in those regions, as you can see in the map below.
What are the key points from the Government's update?
The Queensland Government had this plan ready to go and put out a comprehensive breakdown of the latest update on its website, but the major restrictions for Greater Brisbane are:
- You can have no more than 10 visitors to your house (a visitor being someone who isn't a regular member of the household)
- If you're gathering outside, for something like a birthday party in a park, the group can't be bigger than 10 regardless of who lives together and who doesn't
Elsewhere in Queensland, you can have a maximum of 30 visitors over to your house or 30 total people gathering outside.
What about outside the household?
Businesses should still be complying with the restrictions put in place on July 24, meaning things haven't changed for them because, according to the Government, "the same level of safeguards are not able to be mandated in a private setting".
That includes everything from restaurants and cafes adhering to the four-square-metre rule or two-square-metre rule for smaller venues, to stadiums like Lang Park and the Gabba, which are allowed 50 per cent of capacity or 25,000 spectators, whichever is less.
Speaking of sport…
My kids play sport on the weekend. Is that still allowed?
Yes, community and after-school sports are still allowed.
As for similar things for adults like sport at community centres or a PCYC, that's still allowed as long as the facility is ensuring proper hygiene protocols and enforcing physical distancing.
What about other gatherings like weddings?
The changes are mostly around private gatherings, meaning things like weddings and funerals can still have 100 people.
Things like religious gatherings, civil services and cultural ceremonies can have one person per four square metres, or one person per two square metres if the venue is smaller than 200 square metres.
Can I travel and stay somewhere else overnight?
Travel is more or less unimpeded.
"You can travel anywhere in Queensland. There is no limit on distance," the Government's website says.
You can camp, stay at a hotel, rent an Airbnb or sleep at a mate's place for as long as you like, as long as you keep up the hygiene and physical distancing.
What about visiting people in hospital or aged care?
In Greater Brisbane you can only visit someone in hospital if you are:
- the parent/s, guardian/s or carer/s for a patient under 18
- providing end-of-life support
- a partner and/or support person for a patient admitted for care related to their pregnancy
Any other visitor has to get approval from the chief executive of the hospital, which will only be granted if they think the visitors must be there for emergency or compassionate reasons.
Elsewhere in Queensland, two visitors can visit a patient in hospital at any time within visiting hours and more than two visitors are allowed for terminally ill patients.
The rules around visiting aged care centres haven't changed. You can visit two at a time unless you have symptoms, have recently been in contact with a known case, have recently arrived in Australia, or are unvaccinated.
More than two visitors can visit in end-of-life situations.
What are the penalties for breaking the rules?
The Queensland Government's update says in plain English "if you don't comply you may be given an on-the-spot fine of $1,334 for individuals and $6,670 for corporations, a court-imposed penalty of up to $13,345 or six months' imprisonment".
In saying that, because this was put in place so quickly, police are not going to sagedtart knocking down the doors of every birthday party or baby shower on Saturday morning.
"With respect to the new restrictions, they are in place immediately, so the message to the community is that we will take this seriously from a policing perspective," Queensland Police deputy commissioner Steve Gollchewski said.
"We will have police resource on the ground to make sure that people conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. It is probably a good day or a good weekend for us to take a breath and see what is happening and limit the amount of time we spend in the community."
While congratulating Queenslanders on doing a good job limiting the spread, the Government is adamant that tougher restrictions will return if people flout the rules and cases go up again.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA4LTIyL3F1ZWVuc2xhbmQtY292aWQtMTktcmVzdHJpY3Rpb25zLXVwZGF0ZS1ob3VzZS1nYXRoZXJpbmctdmlzaXRvcnMvMTI1ODU1OTbSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTI1ODU1OTY?oc=5
2020-08-22 02:08:00Z
CAIiEDMpPRV6lnabC-S-H7470F4qFwgEKg4IACoGCAow3vI9MPeaCDDEvrgG
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "New Queensland COVID-19 restrictions are in place. So who is affected and what's changed? - ABC News"
Post a Comment