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NationalQueenslandCoronavirus pandemic

This was published 5 years ago

Coronavirus LIVE Queensland updates: national cabinet talks on timetable to ease restrictions on social and business activity

If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should contact (not visit) your GP, local hospital or 13HEALTH.

Danielle Cronin, Ben Bissett and Cameron Atfield
Updated ,first published

Summary

  • Home visit restrictions will ease in Queensland from Sunday, Mother's Day, when up to five members of one household will be allowed to visit another household.
  • National cabinet will meet today, after which further easing of restrictions may be announced.
  • Queensland has recorded 1045 cases of coronavirus cases, with no new infections detected overnight.
  • Of Queensland's cases, 45 cases are "active" and nine patients are in hospital.
  • FOR SUPPORT: Seniors and vulnerable Queenslanders can call the Community Recovery Hotline 1800 173 349.  TO HELP:  Register here for the "Care Army" to support seniors during the COVID crisis.

Friday recap: There's light at the end of the tunnel

By

That's a wrap for today's Brisbane Times coronavirus blog for the week. Stick with us over the weekend to keep up-to-date with what you need to know.

Here's a recap of today's major developments:

  • Gatherings up to 10 people will be (11.59pm on Friday, May 15 to be exact), including in restaurants, pubs, clubs, RSLs and cafes.

  • At the same time, we will be allowed to travel of up to 150 kilometres from our homes for day trips.
  • Ten guests will be allowed at weddings, with 20 at funerals (increasing to 30 if they're held outdoors).
  • Public pools and lagoons, such as South Bank, Cairns and Airlie Beach, will also reopen, but with restrictions.
  • Three Gold Coast Titans players have been stood down for refusing to get flu shots. At the same time, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says the NRL season will be able to continue afterall, under strict conditions.
  • And some good news for small Queensland businesses, with more government help on the way.

The latest police lockdown stats

By Jocelyn Garcia

Twenty-five people have been fined for breaching COVID-19 restrictions in the past 24 hours.

This raises the state’s total of fines to 1849 since March 27, Queensland Police statistics show.

Of the 2347 cars stopped at the Queensland border, 24 were turned around while 39 were forced to quarantine.

A total of 317 travellers arrived into the state’s domestic airports but only one was directed to quarantine.

No airline passengers have been refused entry to the state in the past 24 hours.

Business group unconvinced roadmap to recovery will be enough

By Jocelyn Garcia

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland believes the state’s road map to recovery from COVID-19 won’t be enough.

“We are pleased businesses have been given this line of sight, but it has been done with limited industry consultation,” CCIQ’s general manager of advocacy and policy Amanda Rohan says.

An empty Queen Street Mall.Jono Searle/Getty

“There are still some very stringent restrictions in this plan, which we would question on it being viable for some business to operate in those conditions.

“What hasn’t been announced is any recovery stimulus to help businesses successful reopen and stay open."

Ms Rohan says the chamber will continue to look at the details released and consult with members and stakeholders.

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All hands on deck to help international students struggling to buy food

By Jocelyn Garcia

International students doing it tough are receiving food supplies and care thanks to Good Samaritans in the community.

TAFE Queensland international support officer Jared Hopkins preparing bags of non-perishable items for international students facing financial hardship during COVID-19.TAFE Queensland

Brisbane community groups and TAFE Queensland staff are collecting non-perishable food items and have already distributed hundreds of items to international students who have lost employment during COVID-19.

TAFE Queensland has also introduced an Adopt a Buddy program, which has connected 85 staff volunteers with international students twice a week to battle loneliness.

Student Ravi Pandey came to Brisbane in February from Singapore to study mechanical technology.

School bus services continue with COVID-19 precautions for Monday

By

School buses will run to their usual timetables as the first students return from online learning to traditional classes on Monday.

Senior students in Years 11 and 12, as well as children in Prep and Year 1, will return to school from next week.

School buses will be running again on Monday.Peter Stoop

TransLink boss Matt Longland says despite school buses already operating normally since the start of the term, there have been some changes made due to the pandemic.

"Parents, guardians and students need to remember to use their Go Card, or pre-paid tickets, as public transport on the SEQ network is now cashless on Go Card-enabled buses," he says.

'Genocide by default': America prepares for a brutal coronavirus slow burn

By Matthew Knott

On April 16 US President Donald Trump appeared in the White House briefing room to unveil his official "Opening up America Again" guidelines. State governors were now encouraged to ease their coronavirus restrictions, but on the proviso their decisions were based on "hard verifiable data".

Crucially, in order to begin returning to normal states were supposed to record a 14 day decline in recorded new cases or a downward trajectory of positive tests over the same period.

Even public health experts and politicians who had criticised Trump's response to the pandemic praised the guidelines, saying they struck a sensible balance between re-starting the economy and keeping people safe. The question was whether the White House would pressure states to follow the guidelines or allow them to be flouted.

Three weeks later, the answer is clear: the latter. Since releasing the guidelines, Trump has barely mentioned them again. Instead he has praised leaders like Texas Governor Greg Abbott for easing restrictions despite their states not meeting the White House criteria. Rather than declining over 14 days, confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas have been on the rise.

Read the full analysis here.

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UN chief says pandemic is unleashing 'tsunami of hate'

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the coronavirus pandemic keeps unleashing "a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering" and has appealed for "an all-out effort to end hate speech globally."

The UN chief says "anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and COVID-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred".

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterre with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.Hannah Peters

Guterres says migrants and refugees "have been vilified as a source of the virus - and then denied access to medical treatment."

"With older persons among the most vulnerable, contemptible memes have emerged suggesting they are also the most expendable," he said.

"And journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers and human rights defenders are being targeted simply for doing their jobs."

AP

Flu jabs will not be mandatory for AFL players, league says

By Ronny Lerner and Peter Ryan

The AFL will not force players to have a mandatory flu vaccination ahead of the resumption of the game, instead leaving the decision up to players and club doctors.

The NRL has taken a far stricter approach to the issue in a bid to minimise the chances of a coronavirus outbreak, employing a "no jab, no play" policy for its players in the lead-up to its tentative May 28 restart date.

Gold Coast Titans second-rower Bryce Cartwright is among three Titans players to have been stood down by the NRL for refusing to take the flu shot. Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young made the announcement on Friday after discussions with the NRL over its controversial flu vaccination policy.

Gold Coast Suns co-captain David Swallow was not convinced that AFL players should be forced to receive a flu vaccine in order to play this season, and it is unlikely they will have to do so, according to the AFL.

Read the full story here.

No hugs for mum this Mother's Day

By Lydia Lynch

Healthy Queensland children are now allowed to visit their grandparents, but are still being advised not share hugs.

As lockdown restrictions begin ease, health advice for older Queenslanders has also been relaxed.

Dr Jeannette Young says you should love your mother, but from a distance.Dan Peled/AAP

Health authorities had previously warned people over 70 years of age, those older than 65 who have existing health conditions to stay at home.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says that it was now up to individuals to weigh up the risks.

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How aspiring photographers see the world from isolation

By Jocelyn Garcia

Photographers are digging deep to find creativity in their homes during the pandemic.

USC photography students told to create content while in confinement are rising to the challenge and embracing it, lecturer Tricia King says.

A photograph by USC student Leanna King.USC

“As a result, I have seen great creativity and insightfulness from the students, who have built compelling narratives through photography,” she says.

“These are the images that people are going to be looking back on; meaningful images that really capture the essence of what we are experiencing.”

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