Queensland has recorded no new coronavirus cases overnight as the state prepares for a new battle to revive the virus-ravaged economy.

May 14, 2020

Queensland’s hard work fighting the coronavirus continues to pay off with no new cases diagnosed overnight.

The good news comes as the state prepares for a new battle to save the virus-ravaged economy.

Almost 130,000 Queenslanders lost their jobs in April, leaving the state with the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.

“It is really sobering thought when you think about the number of people in this state who don’t have jobs because of no fault of their own,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday.

“We have not ever had to deal with anything like this in our lifetime.”

In just four weeks 129,000 people lost their jobs in the Sunshine State as the COVID-19 pandemic took an economic hold.

This compares to 221,400 people in New South Wales and 127,100 people in Victoria, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday.

That drove the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Queensland to 6.8 per cent, just behind South Australia at 7.2 per cent.

Overnight, there were no new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed. The good news follows on from Wednesday when one new case was diagnosed.

Of the 1052 cases recorded in Queensland during the pandemic only 16 people are yet to recover.

It comes as the authorities begin rolling back the social distancing measures that were imposed to control the spread of the virus.

From Saturday, parks, playgrounds, clubs, pubs and barbecue areas will reopen for groups of up to 10 people.

Beachfront areas will also be reopened, along with many skate parks, outdoor basketball courts and sports fields.

Outback pubs will be able to welcome 20 patrons.

Road trips are also back on the agenda with residents allowed to travel up to 150km from home – increasing to 500km for those in the outback.