QUEENSLAND, Australia (LifeSiteNews) – The Premier of the Australian state of Queensland issued a directive forcing those who have not received a COVID jab by December 17 to be blocked from accessing hospitality, entertainment, and health venues while their “fully vaccinated” counterparts are granted permission.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced Tuesday that the state is set to ramp up restrictions for citizens who have not been “double vaccinated” on December 17, at which point it is expected that “80% of Queenslanders, 16 years and older,” will have received their second shot of the abortion-tainted jabs. Refusing to comply will carry a fine of $1378.50 AUD ($1015.70 USD).
The announcement came on the back of recording no new cases of the virus within the state.
Tuesday 9 November – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
• 0 new local cases detected in Queensland overnight
• 1 new overseas acquired cases – detected in hotel quarantine#covid19 pic.twitter.com/c4fbsqlrvi— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 9, 2021
The new government directive asserts that as the state hits the 80 percent threshold for double inoculation, those who have not received the shots will be barred from the majority of public venues, including “hospitality venues such as hotels, pubs, clubs, taverns, bars, restaurants or cafes,” as well as festivals – indoors or outdoors – and stadiums and live music venues.
All staff who work at any such venue will also be required to have taken a full COVID shot regimen to enter their place of work.
Additionally, the unvaccinated are to be denied access to visiting loved ones in hospitals, residential homes, and prisons, with limited exceptions being made for “medical treatment, end-of-life visits, childbirth,” and other occasions deemed to be “emergency situations.”
Weddings restricted if any ‘unvaccinated’ person is present
Weddings in Queensland will be subject to special restrictions. While there is no limit to the number of guests allowed to attend an a wedding event in which everyone is “fully vaccinated,” if any person in attendance has not received the jab, be they a guest or an official, then the entire wedding party must be restricted to 20 people.
The Queensland government considers the restricted activities as “not essential for people to meet their basic needs” and insists that having un-jabbed individuals gather in such places would “present a considerable risk to contributing to an outbreak [of COVID-19] in our community when our borders reopen.”
Palaszczuk posted a message to her Twitter page on Tuesday, announcing the upcoming impositions on the unvaccinated in a statement outlining that “[f]ully vaccinated Queenslanders will be rewarded on 17 December or once we reach 80% double dosed.”
Fully vaccinated Queenslanders will be rewarded on 17 December or once we reach 80% double dosed ⬇ pic.twitter.com/6sN91BYM1U
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 9, 2021
From 17 December, all restrictions will lift at Stadiums Queensland venues for the fully vaccinated – or even sooner, if Queensland reaches the 80% double dosed mark before then.
Only fully vaccinated ticket holders and staff will be able to attend events at these venues. pic.twitter.com/8DyT1CLAvo
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 9, 2021
Palaszczuk said Tuesday that “millions of Queenslanders have gone and got vaccinated and they deserved to be rewarded for their efforts.”
“We are taking another small but important step on our road to keeping our freedoms,” she said while introducing some of the harshest COVID restrictions the territory has seen since March 2020.
“Now we need to all be united in our effort to get vaccinated,” she added.
“People should be rewarded for what they have done so far, and I want to thank Queenslanders for everything they have done.”
Palaszczuk explained that Queenslanders will be able to upload their vaccination status to the Check-In Qld app, which is already used as a remote tracking service to alert those who sign up to potential contact with others who may have contracted the virus.
“So it’s going to be very easy, very seamless for people just to get out their phones and do exactly what they’ve been doing now to show that they are vaccinated but also to staff at these venues who will also need to be vaccinated as well,” the premier said.
On Monday, Palaszczuk announced that after the 80 percent “vaccination” threshold for receiving one dose of a COVID shot has been passed, mandatory face mask wearing will be relaxed within Queensland.
BREAKING: Masks will no longer be required when 80% of eligible Queenslanders have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine 😷😁
That means no masks indoors including schools, cafés, pubs, clubs, hairdressers and workplaces. pic.twitter.com/NM1MHQMn2g
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 8, 2021
In neighboring New South Wales, however, where lockdowns have been consistently more aggressive, face masks are still mandatory, though entry to most public venues is open to the double jabbed.
Regarding the December rule change, the Queensland government website states that the strict new rules are not “about penalising unvaccinated people,” but that there is a “need to acknowledge that Queenslanders have had every opportunity to be vaccinated by now.”
While the government has said that venues will not be expected to police the new rules, a statement from Katarina Carroll, commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, confirmed that venues will be expected to “display the vaccination rules” and “ask for the evidence of vaccination,” without which proprietors can require patrons to leave.
The police force will begin to enforce the rules from December 17. “Non-compliance will not be tolerated and there will be enforcement action,” Carroll said.
LifeSiteNews contacted the Queensland government for more information on the coming rules but did not immediately receive a reply.