November 14, 2019
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young has withdrawn a whole-of-community smoke warning but has urged people to remain vigilant while fires continue to burn across the State.
She said air quality had improved enough for health authorities to withdraw the formal alert issued earlier this week.
“We saw two days of widespread, smoke-affected, very poor quality air levels,” Dr Young said.
“We’ve now seen two days of impacted but improved air quality.
“In general, air quality across the State has improved and we are withdrawing the whole-of-community warning. The amount of smoke in the atmosphere has reduced substantially.”
But Dr Young said Queenslanders, particularly the elderly, children and people with pre-existing health conditions, needed to continue taking precautions to protect their health.
Those most at risk are people with asthma or respiratory conditions.
“It’s better but we’re still not quite back to the crisp, clear Queensland air we’re used to,” she said.
“People should continue to use common sense.
“If there are fires in your region and there is a lot of visible smoke you should reduce the amount of strenuous activity you are undertaking outside.
“It’s still especially important for vulnerable people to remain vigilant. The advice for them has not changed.”
- Live air quality data for Queensland is available through the Department of Environment and Science website
