COVID-19 restrictions, mask-wearing to end early in Cairns and Yarrabah

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COVID-19 restrictions will ease earlier than expected for the Cairns and Yarrabah region.

From 4pm Friday, Far Northerners will return to the same restrictions in place outside of south-east Queensland.

It comes as the state recorded no new community cases in the past 24 hours.

Three cases were detected on an LNG tanker and one was recorded in home quarantine.

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In Cairns and Yarrabah, mask wearing will no longer be required from 4pm Friday, 20 August.

Indoor venues will be allowed one person per two square metres, or 100 per cent capacity with ticketed and allocated seating.

Private indoor gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 100 people.

Weddings and ceremonies will also be able to have a greater number of guests, to the same capacity limits as indoor venues.

Community sports will also be permitted.

Masks will still be required in stadiums, as well as in airports and on all flights. 

Find a more detailed list of restrictions here.

The health directions were initially due to ease on Sunday 22 August.

Restrictions will also ease in the 11 impacted LGAs in south-east Queensland, though not to the same extent as Cairns and Yarrabah.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Brisbane’s rules would only soften once authorities are confident the border is secured from the Delta outbreak in New South Wales

NSW has today reported three deaths and 633 new local cases – the highest number ever recorded in the state within a 24-hour period.

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“What we’ve seen today is a massive escalation of cases in New South Wales,” Ms Palaszczuk said.  

“This Delta variant is of concern.

“We are concerned … I’m quite sure the rest of Australia is concerned as well.”

More than 2,400 people remain in home quarantine across Queensland.

The state’s total number of active cases stands at 97.