BORDER DEADLINE
QUEENSLANDERS will likely have to wait until state election day for a decision on whether borders will reopen to NSW.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the “current protocol” would be to make a decision on October 31 despite the risk decreasing in NSW. It comes as some restrictions ease from today, with house parties of up to 30 people now allowed.
QUEENSLAND’S top doctor says she will likely wait until state election day to decide if borders will reopen to NSW.
Announcing a further loosening of restrictions yesterday, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the “current protocol” would be to make a decision on October 31 – a full 25 days after NSW is expected to reach four weeks of no community transmission on October 6.
The 28-day timeline has been the benchmark for reopening the border to the nation’s most populous state, with Dr Young (pictured) saying Sydney’s cases were already declining.
“They had had their last case of unlinked transmission back on the 8th of September. So the risk is decreasing,” Dr Young said.
“We are seeing reduced numbers of cases in Sydney.”
House parties of up to 30 people will also be allowed to resume across the entire state from Friday as Queenslanders were told they should expect wearing masks to become a “new way of living”.
After the state recorded 14 consecutive days since a case of the pandemic virus was infectious in the community, Dr Young on Thursday relaxed public health restrictions, lifting lockdowns on aged care and disability accommodation services in the Greater Brisbane region. From 1am on Friday, limits on private gatherings will also be eased from 10 to 30 people, bringing the region in line with the rest of the state, and hospital patients will be allowed visits from friends and relatives.
Announcing the relaxation of restrictions in Brisbane, Ipswich and surr o u n d s , D e p u t y Premier and d Health Min- ister Steven Miles declared: “Go ahead and organise that house party.”
But Dr Young warned against people becoming complacent, saying the virus would continue to pose “an ongoing risk”.
“If you’re in an environment that you can’t socially distance, you should still be wearing a mask,” she said.
“I think that might have to be a new way of living for the foreseeable future.”
She also said it would not be ideal for Queenslanders to meet with friends from Sydney in the five new border zone areas, such as Byron Bay, saying it was not “really designed for people to meet up there”.
“That is not the intent of the border zone,” Dr Young said.
“The intent of the border zone is (for) people who live there, because we know they have that strong relationship with Queensland to be able to come into Queensland.”
There were no new cases of coronavirus recorded on Thursday, with the state’s current number of active cases sitting at five.
IF YOU’RE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU CAN’T SOCIALLY DISTANCE, YOU SHOULD STILL BE WEARING A MASK. I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE TO BE A NEW WAY OF LIVING FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE
CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER DR JEANNETTE YOUNG