Deputy Premier and Health Minister Dr Steven Miles

September 16, 2020

COVID-19 restrictions in the South Burnett have been relaxed back to the level which existed prior to the recent Toowoomba scare.

The heightened restrictions – which limited visitors and gatherings to 10, and put restrictions on visitors to aged care facilities and hospitals – came into force in the Darling Downs Health region at 8:00am on Monday, August 31.

The relaxation – announced on Wednesday morning by Health Minister Dr Steven Miles – followed the news there had been no cases identified after contact tracing in the local area.

Restrictions imposed on the Gold Coast at the same time would also be relaxed as there had been no new cases identified there for the past 17 days.

Mr Miles said gatherings of up to 30 people would now be allowed in both health regions and restrictions on visitors to aged care and hospitals would be lifted.

The requirements for PPE in hospitals would also be lifted, although final decisions on staff using PPE would be made at a hospital and clinician level.

Mr Miles said genomic testing had confirmed all cases linked to the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, the Corrections Training Academy and Ipswich Hospital cluster were very closely related.

When the increased restrictions were imposed on August 31, Mr Miles warned they would be in place for at least one to two incubation periods (ie. 14-28 days).

They were invoked after the revelation on August 28 that two venues in the Toowoomba area had been added to the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre cluster tracing list after a visit to the region by a confirmed COVID-19 case.

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