COVID UPDATE, March 29, 2021

Please note that there are 3 levels of Contact Tracing currently in place that are being advised about today:

• Close Contacts – get tested, quarantine for 14 days and complete the contact tracing self-assessment
• Casual contacts – get tested immediately and quarantine until you get a negative result
• Low risk contacts – monitor for symptoms

COVID-19 updates (12:02 & 12:03pm updates)

• Greater Brisbane will enter a 3-day lockdown from 5pm AEST Monday 29 March to 5pm AEST Thursday 1 April.
• People will only be allowed to leave their homes for 4 essential purposes; food, exercise, essential work and medical reasons.
• Schools will close, except to vulnerable children or the children of essential workers and face masks will be mandatory.
• See the current contact tracing alert issued for Brisbane and Moreton Bay locations visited 20-25 March 2021
• Restaurants and cafes will only serve takeaway
• Gatherings of up to 30 people in homes outside the greater Brisbane region is okay.
• Update on travel from New Zealand
• If you have visited the restricted region/s, but not at a noted time and or venue listed within this broadcast, you are advised to continue as normal and monitor for symptoms.

Close Contacts need to get tested, quarantine for 14 days and complete the contact tracing self-assessment or contact 13HEALTH for help (13 43 25 84)

Close Contact Tracing:

If you have been to any of the below locations at the relevant times you should:

• quarantine at home immediately for 14 days since attending those venues at those times (20^th March would need to quarantine until 3^rd April)
• complete the contact tracing self-assessment if you have not already been contacted by Queensland Health in relation to this potential exposure. If you are unable to complete the online contact-tracing self-assessment please call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84)
• stay quarantined even if you get a negative test until 14 days have passed since you were last there. It can take 14 days before you may show symptoms or test positive.

Casual Contacts:

If you have been to any of the below locations at the relevant times you should:

• get tested immediately even if you have no symptoms
• quarantine at home immediately until you receive a negative result
• complete the contact tracing self-assessment. This information would allow Queensland Health to contact you if required.
• watch for COVID-19 symptoms and get retested if you feel unwell

Low Risk Contacts need to monitor for symptoms

Low Risk Contacts:

If you have been to any of the below locations at the relevant times you should:

• monitor for COVID-19 symptoms
• If any symptoms occur, get tested and quarantine at home until you receive a negative result

COVID-19 update | Health and wellbeing | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)

Greater Brisbane 3-day lockdown

From 5pm 29 March 2021, people who have been in the greater Brisbane region since the 20 March 2021 will be subject to home confinement restrictions. The impacted Local Government Areas are:

• City of Brisbane (PDF)
• City of Ipswich (PDF)
• Logan City (PDF)
• Moreton Bay Region (PDF)
• Redland City (PDF)

Anyone who has been in these areas on or since 20 March must follow the restrictions listed below.

Masks for Queensland (all of Queensland including Greater Brisbane)

• You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home, unless you have a lawful reason not to.
• You must wear a mask in indoor spaces, such as:
  • shopping centres, supermarkets, retail outlets and indoor markets
  • hospitals and aged care facilities
  • hospitality venues such as restaurants and cafés (not required for patrons while seated; customer facing staff only)
  • churches and places of worship
  • libraries
  • indoor recreational facilities and gyms (except if doing strenuous exercise*)
  • indoor workplaces (where safe to wear a mask and you can’t physically distance)
  • public transport, taxis and rideshare, including waiting areas and queues for this transport
  • airports and travelling on planes.
• It is strongly recommended you wear a mask when outdoors if you are unable to stay more than 1.5m distance from other people, such as busy walkways and thoroughfares.
• Masks do not need to be worn in some circumstances, including children under 12 years, where people have certain medical conditions, and in workplaces where it is not safe to do so.
• You can remove your masks to consume food or drink.

*Strenuous exercise is exercise in or above the aerobic zone including high-intensity interval training, cycling, running.

Restricted areas movements – in and out

• People in the impacted local government areas (LGAs) will be required to stay at home except for essential reasons.
• Visitors to Aged Care, disability accommodation services, hospitals and corrections facilities in the LGAs are restricted. This restriction is for all of Queensland, including Greater Brisbane.
• People can leave their home for a permitted purpose accompanied with people from their household or, alternatively, by one person who is not a member of their household.
• Individuals are able to leave the Greater Brisbane area to return to their home outside of Greater Brisbane or for essential reasons (see below) but must continue to follow the lockdown rules.
• Anyone who was in Greater Brisbane on or since 20 March but has since left must follow the same lockdown rules as for Greater Brisbane.
• Those who transit into Greater Brisbane from surrounding areas for work, healthcare, study or to support a vulnerable person may do so if it is not reasonably practicable to make other arrangement, such as work or study from home.
• People can enter Greater Brisbane to transit through Brisbane airport.

Reasons to leave home Greater Brisbane during the lockdown period

• Shopping for essentials, food and necessary supplies
• Medical or healthcare needs, including compassionate requirements
• Exercise with no more than one other person, unless all from the same household
• Providing care or assistance to an immediate family member
• Work, or volunteering, or study if it is not reasonably practicable to work or learn remotely
• Child custody arrangements
• Legal obligations
• Visit for end of life
• Attend funeral or wedding in line with restrictions
• In emergency situations
• To escape harm
• If you entered the impacted area responding to an emergency as an emergency health services or emergency service worker or national defence, state security or police officer
• If required to allow an essential service to occur such as the transport of freight in and out of Greater Brisbane
• You're directed to leave by an emergency health officer
• You have an exemption from the Chief Health Officer

Gatherings

• Visitors at residence limited to two per day.
• A person who owns, controls or operates a premises, other than a residence, must not allow organise or allow a gathering to occur on the premises.

Non-essential businesses, activities and undertakings

• Weddings (ceremony) – maximum of 10 people, including celebrant and witnesses.
• Funerals – maximum of 20 people, excluding officials.
• Because of restrictions on non-essential businesses wedding reception or other events post weddings and funerals should be postponed.

A person who owns, controls or operates a non-essential business, activity or undertaking in an impacted area, including operating at a private residence, must not operate the business, activity or undertaking, with limited exceptions.

• Cafes, pubs and restaurants no dine in customers – takeaway allowed.
• Boot camps and personal training to two people outdoors (including the trainer), with physical distancing observed.
• Social sport is permitted, such as golf and tennis, limited to two people outdoors, with physical distancing observed.
• Community facilities to remain open for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public services, such as food banks or homeless services. Community facilities may continue to operate if they provide formal out of school hours care. Physical distancing must be observed to the extent possible.
• Food markets and farmers markets to continue to operate.
• Real estate auctions and open house inspections to private appointments only.

COVID Vaccine - in most areas you can now make appointments to obtain the COVID Vaccine, to find out if you are eligible and to make an appointment follow this link.

You will need to complete a COVID Vaccine Consent Form and take with you to your appointment.

We will aim to keep you updated as the information unfolds and is updated by QLD Health. You can stay up to date with further updates - refer to QLD Health as a primary source of information regarding COVID and Restrictions - Link

If you have any questions about COVID and or the Vaccines, please contact our SCSS Coronavirus Hotline on 07 4111 2614 or email hidden; JavaScript is required.