Nursing home residents are allowed to go on excursions and groups of up to 40 people can dance at weddings after Queensland eased COVID-19 health restrictions.

October 17, 2020

Queenslanders heading to weddings will be able to kick their heels up in greater numbers after the state’s COVID-19 health restrictions were further eased.

Aged care facility residents are allowed to go on excursions with the Sunshine State clocking up 36 days without community transmission of the virus on Friday.

“This is a great outcome,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters.

“As a reward for Queenslanders, we will be able to, young people at formals, dance again.”

The move to ease health restrictions was not initially planned to happen until November 1 on the Queensland recovery roadmap but authorities moved it forward.

It also permits the capacity at gatherings at homes and in public places to be increased from a maximum of 30 to 40 people.

“Up to 40 people at a time will be able to dance at weddings and residents at aged care facilities and nursing homes will again be able to go on excursions to the beach, to play bingo,” Dr Miles said.

Year 12 students will also be able to dance at end-of-the-year events with a COVID-safe plan.

Four COVID-19 cases remain active in Queensland, with two new cases diagnosed on Friday.

One of the cases is a miner who returned from Africa and Papua New Guinea and the other is a traveller who recently returned from the USA.

Both are in hotel quarantine in Cairns and on the Gold Coast.

Health officials completed 4738 tests in the 24 hours to Friday morning. They remain watchful of the situation in NSW and Victoria ahead of the potential reopening of the border at the end of the month.