Close contacts are put back in business
ONE of the last shackles of the pandemic has been released with close contacts and unvaccinated international travellers no longer required to quarantine in Queensland.
Acting Premier Steven Miles announced on Friday that as of 6pm Thursday, April 28, quarantine restrictions would be removed for both close contacts and international arrivals who are asymptomatic, in a move to align with other states.
“This is one of the last restrictions impacting on our community and our economy. We know it’s having an effect on business, on schools,
on indeed the health system. It will allow us to get more people back to work,” Mr Miles said.
“This is great news. It’s another step out of this pandemic.”
Cairns GP Dr Lee Jones, of Yorkeys Medical, said it was an important milestone.
“For Cairns I am hoping the transition works so we can live with Covid in the community,” Dr Jones said.
“It certainly has been so since opening the borders in January.
“It is likely there will be an increase in Covid-19 in the community as a result of the changes.
“Our aim should be to protect the vulnerable as much as possible and to continue to abide by the guidelines as best we can.”
The Cairns and Hinterland region has so far recorded 44,450 cases with 55 deaths.
Health Minister Yvette
D’Ath said some rules would still apply to household contacts of positive Covid-19 cases including doing a RAT test every second day if returning to work and mask requirements both indoors and outdoors for the seven-day period.
“We still encourage people who can work from home who are close contacts to do so over those seven days,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We are moving from a situation where these measures are controlled by public health directives and now leaving it to individuals and employers to look at this from a workplace health and safety measure.”
Unvaccinated international arrivals will also have the quarantine requirement lifted with Ms D’Ath saying it was important all states across the east cost of Australia followed the same rules for international travellers.
International arrivals, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, will still be asked to return a negative test within 24 hours of arrival.
Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said the second Omicron wave had been “much flatter” than the previous wave that Queensland experienced in January, with hospitalisation figures now dropping.
However, he believed transmission of the virus would be ongoing in the community for the foreseeable future.