Image by Klaus Hausmann from Pixabay
Yesterday (Thursday) marked 100 days since Queensland last recorded a case of Covid-19 acquired in the state community.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Yvette D’Ath, said the hard work of Queenslanders has helped to ensure the state continues to be in a strong position in the fight against the pandemic.
“Since 15 September 2020, we haven’t had a single case of Covid-19 acquired in the [local] community,” the Minister said.
“This is a remarkable achievement, and Queenslanders and visitors should be very proud of the personal efforts they have made towards this milestone in the pandemic response.”
D’Ath said that, since the start of the pandemic, the state had responded strongly. Tough measures had been required at times, but had been essential to save life and protect health.
While some restrictions remained in place, these were slowly and steadily being lifted in a sensible and balanced way.
“Now we are able to travel within the state and interstate, enjoy private gatherings in outdoor public spaces of up to 100 people, have up to 200 people at a wedding, indoor and outdoor dancing is allowed, and venues with ticketed and allocated seating can have up to 100 percent capacity,” she noted.
Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young, said Queenslanders still needed to careful, especially over the festive season as family and friends gathered, and more interstate visitors come to Queensland.
“While Covid-19 remains a threat around the globe, we still need to be careful and make sure we don’t undo all our hard work,” Dr Young stated.
“As we’ve seen in Sydney, clusters can appear almost overnight and it may mean restrictions and even lockdowns have to be reinstated.
“I don’t want to see that happen in Queensland, and that’s why it’s so important to practice social distancing when you’re out and about over the festive season – so everyone can enjoy their Christmas and New Year.”
She added: “I continue to encourage you to get tested if you experience any symptoms, no matter how mild, and make sure any family and friends visiting from interstate know they can get tested too at any of our testing clinics.”