Qld ditches vaccines rules at pubs, cafes

QLD CORONAVIRUS COVID19
Queensland public venue vaccination rules will relax after the state passed 90pct double vaccination -AAP Image

Vaccine rules restricting entry to public venues in Queensland including pubs, cafes and restaurants will be ditched from next week.

The trigger point for the relaxation came after the state passed the 90 per cent mark for double-dose COVID-19 vaccinations for those aged 12 and over, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

"Queenslanders have done a great job, I thank you for everything that you have done, but the time has come to ease some of these restrictions as we return to a new normal," she told reporters on Tuesday.

Unvaccinated Queenslanders will soon be welcomed at pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants across the state. 

The vaccine requirement will also be scrapped for casinos and cinemas, weddings, showgrounds, galleries, live libraries, museums and stadiums. 

However, mandates will still apply to visitors and workers in vulnerable settings including hospitals, aged care and disability care, prisons, schools and early childhood centres.

"We don't want people in hospitals to get sick in age and disability care in prisons, in schools and early childhood centres," Ms Palaszczuk said.

The April 14 deadline was chosen to correspond with an expected drop in hospital admissions following the peak of case transmission, Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said.

"I would expect to see hospital admissions…start to fall sometime in the next seven days," he said.

Dr Gerrard cautioned the virus was not going away, and the best form of protection is three vaccine doses for adults and four for vulnerable groups including those over 65.

"You will be exposed to this virus sometime during the course of this year, and it is the vaccine that will protect you," he said.

It is very unlikely the state will have to reintroduce mandates, barring the emergence of another more contagious strain, the chief health officer said.

Queensland recorded another 9946 cases and eight deaths on Tuesday.