Ticketed venues to return to 100% seated capacity in Greater Brisbane

Ticketed venues in Greater Brisbane will be permitted to return to 100% seating capacity from 1am on Friday, according to as the Queensland Government eases its COVID-19 restrictions.

Following the arrival of a more contagious strain of COVID-19 from the UK, Greater Brisbane entered a short, but seemingly effective lockdown. Masks had to be worn in indoor places such as supermarkets and public transport. Venues also had their capacities reduced to prevent the spread, while live entertainment shut down completely for the lockdown.

In the two weeks since the UK strain was first detected, 103,549 Queenslanders underwent testing.

“Brisbane was Australia’s first battleground for this new strain,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement.

“A short, sharp shutdown was successful in keeping the movement of people and the virus to a minimum. We followed that with the mandatory use of masks in crowded places for the 14-day incubation period. The care Queenslanders have for each other is as plain as the masks we saw on thousands of faces.”

In addition to ticketed venue capacity changes, 500 people will now be permitted at indoor events while outdoor events can accommodate 1,500 people. Businesses such as cafes, pubs and clubs will return to having one person every 2sqm. Dancing will be allowed at all indoor and outdoor venues, subject to a one person per 2sqm rule. Similar to ticketed venues, open-air stadiums will also be permitted to 100% seated capacity.

Even though restrictions will be eased slightly, hospitality businesses are still subject to requirements around collecting patrons’ contact information. Mask-wearing is still encouraged while travelling on public transport or when distancing is not possible in any indoor or outdoor space.

“I want to thank all Queenslanders for rising to the challenge this latest strain has posed. As always, we’re continuing to encourage anyone with symptoms to come forward for testing,” said health minister Yvette D’Ath.