Moreton Bay Region and Greater Brisbane Coronavirus Lockdown ends at 6 pm tonight with conditions
A Message from Supt John Hallam of Moreton Police District on the current state of play and advise
The Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, though the lockdown is ending, some restriction will stay until 22 January for the Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay and Redlands areas:
Advisories:
Queensland Health is urging anyone who visited the below locations to immediately get tested:
Nextra Sunnybank Hills Newsagent on January 5 between 8:00am and 8:15am
Bunnings Warehouse in Acacia Ridge on January 5 between 2:00pm and 2:40pm
Sunnybank Cellars on Hellawell Road, Sunnybank Hills between 2:05pm and 2:15pm
Key Points:
Greater Brisbane coronavirus lockdown ends at 6:00pm tonight.
Masks will be mandatory for another 10 days until 1:00am on January 22 at shopping centres, supermarkets, gyms, public transport, places of worship and workplaces where people can’t socially distance.
Masks are not needed in cars or while exercising at a safe distance from others. Masks are not needed also while riding a bike, Horse or motorcycle. Masks must be carried at all times.
A health alert has been issued and remains for supermarket shoppers in Calamvale and Sunnybank as well as anyone who visited a pizzeria, a supermarket and a bottle shop in Maleny. Queensland Health has urged anyone who has symptoms and visited the Cappriccios Italian Pizza Restaurant while getting takeaway and waiting outside on January 6, between 6.30pm and 7pm, to get tested.
They have also issued the same advice for those who visited Purple Palate Cellars between 4.15pm and 4.25pm on January 7 as well as the Maleny Woolworths supermarket on the same day between 4.30pm and 4.50pm.
Some restrictions will continue from Monday 11 January at 6 pm until 1:00am on January 22:
Important : If you have been in Greater Brisbane since Jan 2, you will need to follow the same directives as people remaining in that area. That means if you travel to the Gold Coast or Toowoomba, or anywhere else in Queensland or any islands that are a part of Queensland including Torres Strait Islands you will need to follow the ongoing restrictions which include wearing a mask in indoor spaces.
Masks must be worn in indoor places including shopping centres and supermarkets, gyms, places of worship, libraries, public transport, and taxis and rideshare vehicles.
Masks must be worn in workplaces if social distancing isn’t possible and it’s safe to do so. You don’t need to wear a mask in private vehicles, while outdoors at a safe distance from other people or if you’re doing strenuous exercise.
Businesses and venues can have one person per 4m² indoors and one person per 2m² outdoors. Smaller venues up to 200m² can have one person per 2m² up to a maximum of 50. You must be seated to eat and drink, and no dancing is allowed except at weddings.
Gatherings are restricted to 20 people in homes and public spaces. Weddings and funerals can have up to 100 people, and dancing is allowed at weddings without restrictions.
Indoor concert venues and theatres can operate at 50% capacity or one person per four square metres, whichever is greater. Outdoor stadiums can operate at 50% capacity with COVID-safe plans.
Restrictions on visits to hospitals, aged care, disability accommodation and prisons will remain. Anyone who has been in Greater Brisbane since 2 January must carry a mask with them, and wear them at indoor venues.
Brisbane residents can leave Brisbane to elsewhere in Queensland from 6:00pm tonight however they must follow the remaining restrictions as if they were in Brisbane (such as mask-wearing).
UNTIL 6 pm the existing rules must be observed and you may be fined for failing to do so !!
Residents must stay at home except for four key reasons – to leave for essential work, health care, shopping and exercise in your local area.
Once the lockdown begins, you cannot leave Greater Brisbane.
You can only leave Greater Brisbane during lockdown if it’s an emergency situation, if you have an exemption from the Chief Health Officer, or if you are facilitating an essential service to occur.
Police have warned motorists they will be intercepting vehicles travelling on major highways and questioning people of their movements.
Fines of $1,334 apply to residents caught travelling outside Greater Brisbane for no legitimate reason during lockdown.
This means if you are in the five local government areas after 6:00pm on Friday, you must stay there until the lockdown ends at 6:00pm on Monday January 11.
Masks have been mandated across all five local government areas during the lockdown period.
This means it’s mandatory for you to wear a mask the second you leave your home, unless you are aged 12 years or under.
The only place you don’t need to wear a mask is at home.
Fines of $200 apply to those not wearing a mask.
You must wear a mask while:
Driving your car, bicycle, moped, scooter, motorcycle, horse or walking
Doing exercise
In workplaces
At weddings or funerals
Shopping at supermarkets and shopping centres
On public transport or shared transport
Uber and Taxis you must sit in the back seat and you must wear a mask.
Gatherings are limited to no more than two people.
Anyone who has visited Brisbane since January 2 and has now moved on to other parts of the state or country will also be required to quarantine for the next three days.
Two visitors will be permitted to visit homes during this period but non-essential businesses will be forced to shutdown.
Funerals and weddings can go ahead — but they will be limited to a restricted numbers of guests.
Weddings can only involve a maximum of 10 people — including the celebrant and witnesses.
While funerals can only have a maximum of 20 people.
People are being urged not to visit gyms or attend local community sporting events.
Community sport has also been placed on hold in Greater Brisbane for the next three days.
All cafes, pubs and restaurants will be banned from having any dine-in customers — but they will still be able to offer takeaway service.
Places of worship, cinemas, and any other entertainment and recreation venues including gyms will also be closed.
Weekend sport has also been cancelled.
All businesses will be limited to one person per 4 square metres.
Supermarkets are enforcing limits on staple items.
Masks will also be mandatory for anyone in greater Brisbane leaving their home, those who fail to do so will face $200 fines.
A child under 12 does not need to wear a mask.
Health authorities yesterday also banned any visitors to aged care facilities, hospitals, disability accommodation services or correctional facilities in these areas.
Health authorities want to limit as many people as possible moving about in the community, but if you must leave for any of the above reasons you will be required to wear a mask.
From the 9 AM Press conference:
Annastacia Palaszczuk added “Can I thank people in the greater Brisbane region for responding in the way that they did. It has been absolutely truly remarkable. So, I can announce that the reward for their sacrifice is that we are able to end our lockdown after three days.
“However, we will need to continue some restrictions. And I ask for everyone’s patience for this as I go through these. They are sensible, they are very logical, and they are needed for the next 10 days. This is on the advice of Dr Young, because we want to make sure that that incubation period, that 14 days, has totally lapsed before we return back to normal.
“So from 6:00pm tonight until January 22nd, we want you to hang on to your masks. So you’ll have to carry a face mask on you at all times. This is not dissimilar to what has happened in other jurisdictions. You need to wear this mask in
shopping centres, supermarkets, retail outlets and indoor markets, in hospitals and aged care facilities, in churches and places of worship, libraries, indoor recreational facilities, such as cinemas, art galleries, those sorts of types of places and gyms.
“Now in indoor workplaces where you can socially distance you don’t have to wear a mask but where you can’t socially distance we ask you to put a mask on. You must also wear a mask on public transport, in taxis and ride shares. You do not have to wear a mask if you are in your own week or if you have your family in your own vehicle. So, when in doubt, wear a mask, that is very simple, but it is those crowded areas, we just want greater Brisbane for the next 10 days to all be part of this mask wearing.”
The Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young says, while many contacts of the positive case that prompted the lockdown have come forward, Qld Health believes there are more people out there.
“We now have, due to people coming forward and due to the contact tracers working through with venues, we now have 370 contacts of the lady involved and of those 172 have had their test results come back and they’re all negative. Then we’ve had 304 close contacts and of those 154 test results have come back and they’re negative.
It is really important — I don’t think that everyone has come forward yet.
“So I’m going to go through those venues that I am most concerned about and I ask anyone, if you’ve been to any of these venues during the times listed, please immediately ring 13 health for advice or go to one of those testing sites and tell them you have been in that venue. We need to find everyone.”
Those locations mentioned by Dr Young are:
Woolworths Calamvale North on January 3 between 11:00am and 12:00pm
Coles Sunnybank Hills on 5 January between 7.30am and 8:00am
Nextra Sunnybank Hills news agent on 5 January between 8:00am and 8:15am
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was asked about the investigation into how the strain arrived in Brisbane:
“There is an investigation happening. The investigation is being conducted not only by health but by police. The commissioner this informed me yesterday that detectives are onto this case as well … There are no results from it yet.”
The Premier also said “Masks will have to be worn in indoor places, including shopping centres and supermarkets, gyms, workplaces, places of worship, libraries, taxis and rideshares.
The masks must be carried at all times, but are not needed to be worn outdoors at a safe distance from other people.
This could include walking the dog, while travelling in your private vehicle or going out for “strenuous exercise”.
“When in doubt wear a mask,”
More To Come…
