February 22, 2022
Masks will no longer have to be worn in most situations in Queensland from 6:00pm next Friday (March 4).
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the surprise announcement in State Parliament on Tuesday morning.
“You will not need them at work or in school or at the shops. Staff and patrons will not be required to wear them at cafes, pubs or restaurants. Smiles are back!” the Premier said.
She was “cautiously optimistic” the number of hospitalisations and infections had peaked, despite announcing 5583 new cases of COVID-19 during the past reporting period.
There are 380 people currently in public hospitals with 30 in intensive care, including 11 patients on ventilators.
Premier Palaszczuk said the numbers of hospital patients were coming down as the State was coming off the Omicron wave.
There are also 14 patients in private hospitals, including four in ICU.
There have also been five more deaths, including one in aged care.
The total number of deaths in Queensland since the pandemic began is now 468, with 461 of these occurring since the borders re-opened on December 13.
“In relation to our vaccine coverage, 92.54 per cent of Queenslanders have had their first dose and 90.61 per cent have had their second dose, which is great news,” the Premier said.
“In terms of boosters, 63.11 per cent of the eligible population have received their boosters. In relation to our 5- to 11-year-olds, 42.11 per cent have had their first dose.
“When the story of this pandemic is written it will show that no-one completely escaped the impacts of COVID, but it will show some places fared better than most, and one of these places is right here in Queensland.
“The reason is clear: the vast majority of our State was vaccinated before COVID arrived.
“The credit for this belongs to every single Queenslander, but I am proud that our government did everything possible to ensure our people were protected. We travelled the length and breadth of this State. We put vaccine hubs in schools, Bunnings and caravan shows. Our health workers went door-to-door in places where vaccine numbers were too low.
“When NSW confronted its outbreak, only 4 per cent of its population was vaccinated. That ended in months of lockdowns and billions of dollars worth of lost business.
“When COVID came to Queensland, 80 per cent of Queenslanders were fully vaccinated. The data shows our decision to delay the start of school was absolutely the right one. The numbers of children infected is currently lower than the peak in mid-January. The number of teaching, health and emergency services staff infected is falling, too.
The Premier said that although we could “put out masks away” they would still be needed on public transport, at airports, in hospitals, disability care, prisons and aged-care facilities.
“If you feel vulnerable you should wear one. If you want to wear one you can,” she said.
“We are scrapping density limits that apply to weddings and funerals and the number of people you can have in your own home.
“There will be no density limits in food courts, hairdressers, gyms, private venue hire spaces and universities.
“In addition, bans on excursions, assemblies and visitors to schools will go as of March 4. As these restrictions ease, parents who are yet to have their children vaccinated might want to consider bringing those vaccinations forward.
“This is all about getting our lives back to a new normal.”
The Premier said the daily televised COVID update would be scrapped.
“Normal does not include a televised daily COVID update,” she said.
“We will still publish COVID numbers every day, but from the first week of March we will only see our Chief Health Officer if needed.
“The story of this pandemic is not yet over, but we hope a brighter chapter awaits. Thank you, Queensland.”
* * *
southburnett.com.au has been keeping track of some basic statistics for local Council areas since the re-opening of the State border on December 13.
These statistics, from Queensland Health, show the total number of confirmed positive cases per Local Government Area since the pandemic began in January 2020.
They are NOT the total of current ACTIVE cases but demonstrate how the virus has spread recently throughout the local community.
We have taken snapshots on Dec 13, Dec 21 and daily since December 29.
These figures are current to 7:00pm on Monday (Feb 21):
- South Burnett: 3 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 18 / 21 / 25 / 39 / 52 / 83 / 135 / 188 / 213 / 239 / 250 / 255 / 273 / 289 / 296 / 338 / 346 / 349 / 389 / 400 / 450 / 450 / 463 / 480 / 500 / 511 / 531 / 556 / 560 / 604 / 625 / 640 / 651 / 661 / 695 / 706 / 714 / 720 / 729 / 733 / 738 / 745 / 761 / 765 / 775 / 776 / 780 / 790 / 803 / 819 / 823 / 828 / 838 / 841
- * Cherbourg: – / – / – / 3 / 12 / 21 / 30 / 51 / 61 / 71 / 74 / 89 / 96 / 96 / 97 / 97 / 100 / 100 / 104 / 104 / 104 / 104 / 104 / 105 / 106 / 106 / 106 / 106 / 106 / 110 / 127 / 127 / 128 / 133 / 133 / 133 / 145 / 145 / 164 / 167 / 167 / 167 / 167 / 170 / 170 / 177 / 182 / 185 / 185 / 185 / 188 / 188 / 188 / 188 / 192 / 192 / 192 / 194
- Toowoomba: 52 / 56 / 233 / 312 / 368 / 396 / 463 / 579 / 665 / 751 / 841 / 940 / 1141 / 1315 / 1405 / 1565 / 1870 / 1971 / 2119 / 2252 / 2446 / 2539 / 2733 / 2922 / 3247 / 3247 / 3361 / 3437 / 3505 / 3608 / 3665 / 3773 / 3846 / 3953 / 4008 / 4054 / 4109 / 4208 / 4292 / 4361 / 4428 / 4459 / 4487 / 4506 / 4560 / 4600 / 4630 / 4641 / 4695 / 4706 / 4720 / 4765 / 4784 / 4882 / 4958 / 4983 / 5003 / 5042
- Gympie: 7 / 6 / 23 / 26 / 38 / 43 / 48 / 68 / 82 / 104 / 144 / 169 / 222 / 243 / 270 / 304 / 355 / 393 / 425 / 478 / 526 /563 / 633 /685 / 786 / 786 / 851 / 887 / 923 / 941 / 988 /1016 / 1033 / 1076 / 1111 / 1123 / 1147 / 1189 / 1232 / 1259 / 1285 / 1307 / 1310 / 1325 / 1360 / 1387 / 1414 / 1427 / 1479 / 1480 / 1494 / 1548 / 1573 / 1613 / 1642 / 1655 / 1669 / 1685
- North Burnett: 3 / 3 / 5 / 5 / 8 / 9 / 13 / 13 / 14 / 14 / 17 / 21 / 23 / 27 / 29 / 31 / 31 / 44 / 50 / 54 / 57 / 66 / 77 / 85 / 95 / 95 / 99 / 107 / 112 / 150 / 150 / 155 / 181 / 184 / 190 / 191 / 192 / 193 / 194 / 194 / 199 / 202 / 206 / 206 / 211 / 212 / 213 / 215 / 216 / 217 / 221 / 223 / 224 / 225
- Somerset: 6 / 6 / 14 / 15 / 15 / 20 / 28 / 34 / 38 / 48 / 64 / 104 / 127 / 160 / 178 / 201 / 231 / 282 / 329 / 369 / 397 / 417 / 451 / 508 / 558 / 558 / 597 / 628 / 644 / 665 / 701 / 734 / 752 / 773 / 798 / 811 / 825 / 850 / 865 / 881 / 912 / 918 / 929 / 942 / 946 / 950 / 953 / 965 / 971 / 973 / 984 / 987 / 994 / 1004 / 1010 / 1014 / 1019
- Western Downs: 3 / 3 / 16 / 18 / 23 / 30 / 36 / 48 / 52 / 60 / 89 / 114 / 140 / 203 / 216 / 248 / 301 / 357 / 401 / 412 / 435 / 457 / 464 / 504 / 568 / 568 / 596 / 632 / 639 / 655 / 676 / 695 / 706 / 725 / 735 / 750 / 758 / 770 / 784 / 795 / 815 / 815 / 822 / 826 / 828 / 831 / 832 / 839 / 839 / 839 / 843 / 848 / 849 / 855 / 857 / 860 / 864
The latest figures show 112 new cases have been recorded in the South Burnett in the past fortnight.
* On February 21, Cherbourg Council reported four new cases, taking the number of active cases to nine and the total number of cases to 310 since the outbreak started (about 125 homes in Cherbourg).
NB. Data is reported by Queensland Health daily but can vary over time due to case reviews. When we took the first snapshots, Cherbourg LGA had not been added to the list by Qld Health as no cases had been recorded there. From December 31, data is current to 7:00pm the previous day. Numbers for all regions must also be considered underestimated. Not everyone who has tested positive using a Rapid Antigen Test has reported their result to Queensland Health. Not everyone who has had a mild dose of the disease has been tested. Also, the official statistics show 202,496 positive results (as at February 21) which have not been allocated to a Local Government Area.
