Superseded - Non-essential business, activity and undertaking Closure Direction (No.6)
This direction has been superseded by the Superseded - Restrictions on Businesses, Activities and Undertakings Direction
Direction from Chief Health Officer in accordance with emergency powers arising from the declared public health emergency
Public Health Act 2005 (Qld)
Section 362B
On 29 January 2020, under the Public Health Act 2005, the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services made an order declaring a public health emergency in relation to coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The public health emergency area specified in the order is for ‘all of Queensland’. Its duration has been extended by regulation to 19 May 2020.
Further to this declaration, l, Dr Jeannette Young, Chief Health Officer, reasonably believe it is necessary to give the following directions pursuant to the powers under s 362B of the Public Health Act 2005 to assist in containing, or to respond to, the spread of COVID-19 within the community.
Preamble
- This Public Health Direction replaces the Public Health Direction referred to as the Non-essential business, activity and undertaking Closure Direction (No. 5) made on 9 April 2020.
- This Public Health Direction is to be read in conjunction with other Public Health Directions issued under section 362B of the Public Health Act 2005 that have not expired or been revoked.
Citation
- This Public Health Direction may be referred to as the Non-essential business, activity and undertaking Closure Direction (No. 6).
Revocation
- The Non-essential business, activity and undertaking Closure Direction (No. 5) made on 9 April 2020 is revoked from the time of publication of this direction.
PART 1 — DIRECTION - NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESS, ACTIVITY, OR UNDERTAKING
- These directions apply from the time of publication until the end of the declared public health emergency, unless they are revoked or replaced.
- A person who owns, controls or operates a non-essential business, activity, or undertaking in the State of Queensland, including operating at a private residence, must not operate the business, activity or undertaking during the period specified in paragraph 5, subject to the exceptions set out in Column 2 of the Definitions table at paragraph 8.
- Despite paragraph 6, a person who owns, controls or operates a non-essential business, activity or undertaking may continue to do so online or through the internet, unless stated otherwise in Column 1 of the Definitions table at paragraph 8.
Examples – a business selling goods or providing services online or a personal trainer who offers personal training sessions online.
- For the purposes of this Public Health Direction:
Non-essential business, activity, or undertaking means a business, activity, undertaking, premises or place listed in Column 1 unless the exception listed in Column 2 applies:
Column 1 Business, activity, undertaking, premises or place | Column 2 Exceptions |
---|---|
Food and drink | |
Cafes, restaurants, fast-food outlets, food courts (together retail food services) |
|
Retail | |
Auction houses | |
Real estate auctions and open house inspections | Private appointments for inspection. |
Outdoor and indoor markets | Food markets and farmers markets may continue to operate |
Weapons, ammunition and propellants | |
Licensed armourers and licensed dealers as defined under the Weapons Act 1990 The holder of a licence as defined under the Explosives Act 1999 licensed to sell ammunition under the Explosives Regulation 2017. These businesses are not permitted to sell or supply weapons, ammunition or propellant powders online or through the internet unless one of the exceptions in Column 2 applies. For the purposes of this direction, ammunition means small arms ammunition for firearms. Example - cartridges used in firearms or propellant powders used for small arms ammunition. | A licensed armourer, licensed dealer or authority holder may store, manufacture, modify, repair, acquire or supply weapons and/or ammunition to, for or on behalf of:
A licensed dealer may dispose of firearms to individuals who hold Permits to Acquire issued prior to 28 March 2020. A licensed armourer or licensed dealer may acquire, store, register and destroy firearms and ammunition from any individual. A licensed armourer, licensed dealer or authority holder may continue to operate the part of the business that does not store, manufacture, modify, repair, acquire or supply weapons or ammunition. Example – a business that sells weapons and fishing gear may continue to sell fishing gear. |
Beauty and personal care services | |
Hairdressers and barber shops | Can remain operational with no more than one person per 4 square metres, with social distancing observed to the extent possible. |
Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing and nail salons, and tattoo parlours | |
Spas and massage parlours | Health services provided by health practitioners registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, with social distancing observed to the extent possible. Example – physiotherapists and chiropractors Massage therapy for the management or prevention of a disease, injury or condition, provided by a qualified massage therapist, with social distancing observed to the extent possible. |
Entertainment venues | |
Registered and licensed clubs, licensed premises in hotels | Bottle shops and off license premises attached to venues may continue to operate, with social distancing observed. Limited to 2 people for outdoor sporting-based activities, with social distancing observed. Example – golf and tennis |
Cinemas, nightclubs | |
Casinos, gaming or gambling venues including wagering outlets that are open to, and accessible by, members of the public such as TAB agencies and retail outlets | |
Strip clubs, brothels, sex on premises venues and sole operator sex workers | Sole operator sex workers may continue to provide online or phone services. Example – video streaming or phone chat services |
Concert venues, theatres, arenas, auditoriums, stadiums | Live streaming of a performance by no more than 2 people is permissible, with social distancing observed. |
Theme parks, amusement parks and amusement arcades | |
Play centres (indoor and outdoor) | |
Leisure and recreation | |
Community and recreation centres | Facilities may remain open for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public services, such as food banks or homeless services, with social distancing observed. |
Boot camps, personal training | Limited to 2 people including the personal trainer, with social distancing observed. |
Indoor sporting centres, including gyms, health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre and spin facilities, saunas, bathhouses and wellness centres | |
Social sporting-based activities | Limited to 2 people, with social distancing observed. |
Swimming pools including public pools and pools in shared facilities such as hotels and apartments | A swimming pool located in a private residential dwelling for the use of the occupants of the dwelling such as a backyard pool. |
Public playgrounds, skate parks, BMX tracks and outside gyms, including static exercise equipment in Council parks. | |
Public barbeques (such as barbeques in public spaces or shared facilities) | |
Residential facilities | |
Hostels, bed and breakfasts, backpackers, boarding houses | May continue to operate for permanent residents, temporary residents and workers of the facility, with social distancing observed. Example – a backpacker may be a temporary resident at a hostel Limited to 2 people in common areas such as lounge rooms and shared facilities, with no more than one person per 4 square metres. Limited to 2 people in outdoor areas, that is part of the facility, or near the facility, with social distancing observed. |
Outdoor recreation | |
Caravan and camping parks | Where people live permanently in caravan parks or are staying in caravan parks as interim abodes where their primary residence is not available, they may continue to do so, with social distancing observed. This includes the use of cabins within caravan parks. May continue to operate for essential workers such as health practitioners or other persons providing essential services for example, emergency services or infrastructure projects, with social distancing observed. |
Campgrounds | |
Zoos and wildlife centres | For the purpose of maintenance and care for the animals. |
Non-residential institutions | |
Galleries, museums, national and state institutions and historic sites | |
Libraries, community centres, and youth centres | Community hubs in remote communities may continue to operate if they are essential for distributing health or medical information or education to the community, with social distancing observed. |
Local government non-essential facilities and services (such as libraries and pools) | |
Community facilities (such as community halls, clubs, RSLs, PCYCs) | Community hubs in remote communities may continue to operate if they are essential for distributing health or medical information or education to the community, with social distancing observed. Community facilities may continue to operate if they provide formal out of school hours care, with social distancing observed. |
Places of worship, weddings and funerals | Weddings with a maximum attendance of 5 people being the celebrant, couple and two witnesses with no more than one person per 4 square metres. Funerals attended by a maximum of 10 people with no more than one person per 4 square metres, except if an exemption is granted on compassionate grounds by the Chief Health Officer. A maximum of 3 people can conduct the funeral service in addition to the 10 attendees. Any other service at a place of worship with a maximum attendance of 5 people, with no more than one person per 4 square metres. Live streaming of a wedding, funeral or other service may be conducted with the maximum number of people outlined above, including the camera operator, with social distancing observed. |
- Additional requirements for the provision of takeaway are as follows:
- social distancing, including keeping 1.5 metres between people must be accommodated, implemented and monitored by employees or contractors of the retail food service provider;
- gathering for the purposes of ordering or collecting must not exceed one person per 4 square metres;
- the retail food service provider may only operate to the extent they are not promoting or facilitating persons consuming takeaway food or drink on or adjacent to their premises.
Example: tables and chairs should be removed and all reasonable steps taken by the retail food service to direct persons away from gathering to consume takeaway food or drink on or adjacent to, the relevant premise.
- Additional requirements for the provision of food and beverages by truck driver rest facilities are as follows:
- tables, seating and road user numbers should be managed to provide appropriate social distancing according to the latest advice on the Australian Government’s Department of Health website;
- remove all self-serve options unless pre-packaged.
Note – The Chief Health Officer has issued a Notice for access to truck driver rest facilities recommending owners or operators of businesses operating truck driver rest facilities continue normal opening hours for heavy vehicle drivers and essential road users during the COVID-19 emergency to assist in the safe movement of road freight, heavy vehicle drivers and essential road users.
Definitions
Community hub means:
- a facility in a remote or discrete community acting as a place of refuge or evacuation place in a disaster; or
- a community facility in an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community that provides essential activities or services relating to child care, youth, harm minimisation and diversion.
Essential road user means a person to whom the following paragraphs (a) to (d) applies:
- The person is required to leave their place of residence to:
- perform work or volunteering or carry out or conduct an essential business, activity or undertaking; or
- to comply with or give effect to the exercise of a power or function of a government agency or entity under a law;
- The person’s work, business activity or undertaking to be performed is of a nature that cannot reasonably be performed from the person’s place of residence;
- The person cannot reasonably return to their place of residence, business, work or undertaking to partake in a meal; and
- It is reasonably necessary for the person to utilise the facilities of the truck driver rest facility to undertake fatigue management breaks.
Examples – essential road users include road and rail workers such as RoadTek and Queensland Rail maintenance crews, utilities workers, agriculture sector workers (such as specialist maintenance staff required to maintain sugar mills), workers required to calibrate or maintain equipment essential to continue the safe operation of critical infrastructure and systems, critical resources sector employees, emergency services personnel, health practitioners, authorised officers (such as local government inspectors) and volunteers providing essential care (such as a Meals on Wheels volunteer delivering food to the elderly).
Permit to acquire has the same meaning as in Schedule 2 of the Weapons Act 1990.
Qualified massage therapist means a massage therapist who:
- holds a relevant qualification (minimum AQF level 5 (Diploma)) under the Australian Qualifications Framework;
Example – Diploma of Remedial Massage or Bachelor of Health Science (Myotherapy)
- is a member of a professional organisation within the meaning of section 10 of the Private Health Insurance (Accreditation) Rules 2011 (Cwlth); and
- holds approved provider status with one or more private health funds.
Truck driver rest facility means businesses operating a truck driver lounge, truck driver room, or similar facility at a road side service centre or service station, which normally provide heavy vehicle drivers access to amenities such as food, showers, restrooms and facilities to undertake fatigue management breaks.
PART 2 - PENALTIES
A person to whom the direction applies commits an offence if the person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with the direction.
Section 362D of the Public Health Act 2005 provides:
Failure to comply with public health directions
- A person to whom a public health direction applies must comply with the direction unless the person has a reasonable excuse.
- Maximum penalty—100 penalty units.
Dr Jeannette Young
Chief Health Officer
21 April 2020
Published on the Queensland Health website at 21 April 2020 08:10 pm