Check-ins and vaccine mandates scrapped

The measures will be scrapped from 1am Thursday, in favour of relying on a large portion of the population already having been vaccinated to reduce spread.Types of venues that no longer require check ins or proof of vaccination include pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants, theme parks, casinos, cinemas, weddings, showgrounds, galleries, libraries, museums and stadiums.High-risk settings will still be subject to mandates, including hospitals, disability accommodation services and residential aged care.Vaccinations will also still be required for workers in schools and childcare.The Omicron strain of Covid-19 continues to spread “rapidly” through Queensland schools due to them having significantly lower rates of vaccination than the rest of the population.Queensland reported 9176 new cases on Wednesday, similar to the number of new cases in Victoria and less than half the number of new cases in NSW.Individual businesses may still choose still to require proof of vaccination.“We know that many businesses have put their own vaccination requirements in place that are separate to those contained in our public health directions, and businesses are free to continue doing so,” Queensland Health said.Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr John Gerrard said due to more than 90 per cent of Queenslanders aged 12 and over being fully vaccinated, restrictions could be eased while still providing community protection. “We are confident that removing the vaccination requirements in certain settings is not going to result in increased risks for Queenslanders,” Queensland Health said.As it stands, if a wedding is attended by an unvaccinated person attendance is limited to a maximum of 20 people.From Thursday, wedding attendance will be unrestricted, regardless of the vaccination status of attendees.With the return of cruise ships from 17 April, vessels carrying 100 people or more overnight will be subject to a national approach that has been developed in collaboration with the cruise industry. It will require all crew and passengers over 12 years of age to be fully vaccinated prior to embarking.