Indoor mask rules ease but don’t take them off on the bus
Queensland authorities are no longer advising people to wear face masks indoors, except vulnerable residents, as the state’s third Covid-19 wave fades.
Image: Gabriella Clare Marino/Unsplash
Authorities recorded eight virus deaths and 2091 new cases in the state on Friday, taking the number of active cases to 15,660.
That compares to 21 deaths and 8621 new cases emerging on July 26, when the outbreak peaked at 66,569 cases.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says with 321 people in hospital and 16 in intensive care, the government will no longer advise people to wear masks indoors.
“The advice is still to wear one if you are a person who is considered vulnerable, and don’t forget too; it’s still your choice whether or not you wear one or not,” she told reporters on Friday.
Face masks remain mandatory in health, aged and disability care settings, on public transport, commercial vehicles such as ride-sharing cars and in prisons in Queensland
Federal laws also require masks to be worn on planes.
The Queensland government scrapped its mask mandate for most indoor settings in March.
Palaszczuk said masks would remain mandatory on public transport in Queensland unless authorities receive new advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
