Queenslanders have been urged to come home as the state’s health officials reinstate a COVID-19 restriction banning people from standing at a bar or high table.

July 24, 2020

Queenslanders have been urged to come home as authorities become increasingly worried about coronavirus outbreaks in southern states.

The state’s top health officer has reinstated a social distancing rule banning people from standing at a bar or high table, forcing people to be seated when eating and drinking.

“I am reimposing that restriction. It starts today,” Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young told reporters on Friday.

“It is a requirement and there will be compliance.”

The ruling means patrons can still order from the bar and the number of people allowed in venues remains the same.

“People have really got to take this so seriously because we are at a really very difficult stage,” she said.

“We have seen what’s happened in Victoria and New South Wales with just a few cases it’s got out of hand, and they are struggling to variable degrees of success to manage.”

Dr Young said the measures would send a clear signal for people to maintain social distancing.

Hotels have been blindsided by the development, saying there was no consultation prior to the change.

“This is a frustration that will have the public more confused and less engaged in keeping themselves safe or adhering to restrictions,” Queensland Hotels Association chief executive Bernie Hogan said.

“As the chief health officer said, we’ve had great health outcomes in Queensland on the back of the hard work the industry has done.”

Talks between government and industry are ongoing, but Dr Young says the state is vulnerable to a coronavirus outbreak and she is very concerned.

Two more people in hotel quarantine in Queensland tested positive for the disease overnight as Health Minister Steven Miles urged people outside the state to come home.

His plea comes after Fairfield in Sydney was added to the list of COVID-19 hotspots on Thursday.

More than 45 cases of the illness have been confirmed in the locality after an outbreak at a Thai restaurant.

“More hotspots are probably likely, but the hotspots will change – we have had hotspots come and go throughout this pandemic and we’ll see that again,” Mr Miles said.

New border restrictions on people coming from Fairfield are set to take effect at 1am on Monday.

Queenslanders who arrive after the deadline from hotspots – including Liverpool and Campbelltown in NSW, and the state of Victoria – will be required to quarantine in government-provided accommodation at their own expense.

Anyone else from those locations trying to enter will be turned away at the border.

Queensland Police reminded cross-border commuters to update their border declaration passes ahead of Monday’s border restriction changes to help reduce delays at checkpoints.