Unvaccinated people permitted in Queensland hospitals

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Queensland has dropped the requirement for visitors to both private and public hospitals to be vaccinated against COVID-19, from May 30. 

Requirements to collect contact information have also been eased.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the government was acting on the advice of the acting chief health officer. 

“Easing these restrictions will also allow staff currently performing concierge duties to be re-tasked to support the delivery of more critical hospital services.

“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve followed the health advice and we continue to do so,” D’Ath said. 

“As Queensland moves to living with COVID, we can now take the next step in easing restrictions,” D’Ath added. 

Some restrictions will stay in place, such as mask-wearing and limitations on entry to vulnerable settings for people with COVID-19 and close contacts.

At the time of writing, 2,872 new cases have been recorded in Queensland in the past 24 hours, with four people in intensive care. The fully-vaccinated status is 92.3%, with 93.9% at the first-dose stage. 

Unvaccinated people have been allowed to enter venues such as restaurants, pubs, and cinemas since 14 April 2022. 

The news follows the announcement Queensland was opening free vaccine clinics to cope with an outbreak of influenza, as reported in The Mandarin. 

At the time, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said fighting both COVID-19 and the flu was ‘doubly hard’. 

The states and territories vary in the requirements for hospital visitation and COVID-19 vaccination. 

In New South Wales and Tasmania, hospital visitors are required to be vaccinated. In both Victoria and ACT, hospital visitors are ‘strongly recommended’ to be fully vaccinated but are not required to be.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has asked the federal Health department to brief him on COVID-19, following an election campaign with little mention of the pandemic from both of the major parties. 

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