Stage 4 of the easing of restrictions from October 1 included the border zone with northern NSW opening and today at 4pm October 2 standing eating and drinking is permitted at indoor and outdoor venues with a COVID Safe Plan or checklist.
Stage 5 of easing restrictions on November 1 will see the borders open to NSW, provided there has been no unlinked cases in the previous 28 days, and Stage 6 of easing restrictions on December 1 will see outdoor venues increase maximum capacity from 1,000 to 1,500 and unlimited dancing at weddings with a COVID Safe Plan.
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind said this clarity is what the industry had desperately sought from government.
“This is great news for the tourism industry with Queensland destinations being accessible again. We hope bookings will stream in from our NSW travellers giving some sort of relief to struggling tourism operators.
“The easing of restrictions on events will also attract visitors to destinations giving the industry hope that things will begin to get back to normal”.
QTIC has been advocating strongly for the easing of restrictions and support for the tourism industry as the industry has been left devasted over the past few months.
Mr Gschwind continued, “Having a roadmap will allow tourism operators to plan for a strong summer season across the state. It will be a long road to recovery but with a clear plan in place, we will now be able to implement steps to get back to business.
“We are hopeful that we can soon open the border to our Victorian travellers once community transmission is under control so that we can all enjoy the Sunshine State again”.
Tourism has been in the economic frontline of the pandemic and the announcement of Queensland’s COVID Safe Roadmap will give some much-needed hope to the industry.
