Queensland’s Anzac Day Dawn Services, marches return to normal, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces

The state’s Anzac Day Dawn Services, marches and public commemorations will go ahead as normal. It comes after 200 Queenslanders were given the COVID jab yesterday. The announcement comes after 200 Queenslanders were given the COVID jab on the first day it was administered in the Sunshine State. Making another announcement via social media, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed public commemoration events would proceed as normal in 2021. There will be no caps on numbers at events, while services will be able to go ahead with out the normal COVID-safe plans or checklists. The news of a ‘normal’ Anzac Day came as Chief Health Office Jeannette Young today revealed that staff at the Gold Coast University Hospital vaccinated 203 people on Monday. She said she was hoping for another 200 vaccinations today, with 1000 to be completed before the end of the week. Dr Young said the vaccination would not be rolled out in time for ANZAC Day, but insisted that it would not be needed. “ANZAC Day can go ahead no matter where we’re up to with our vaccine,” she said. “There won’t be any requirement for masks. “Remember that these services are perfect in a COVID environment. We know that the risk of spreading COVID-19 outdoors is very, very, very, very low.” She said if services went above certain numbers, they would need to have a COVID-safe plan or checklist. “They’ve already done that work and they will put that through,” Dr Young said. “ANZAC Day last year we had more than 270 active cases in Queensland. “We do not have community transmission here in Queensland today and we probably don’t have any community transmission anywhere in the country today. “And that’s what the difference is.” It is understood authorities are confident that people will come forward if there is an outbreak of COVID at an event. Ms Palaszczuk’s office confirmed that Brisbane’s dawn service would be part of the commemoration events, with the march to be held in the CBD. “In times of strife, Queenslanders do what it takes to protect each other,” the Premier said in a four line statement to her Facebook followers. “We’ve done it in wartime, and we’re doing it through the global pandemic. “Because we’ve worked together to keep safe, this year we can safely gather to mark the sacrifices of those who have served.” It is understood plans had initially been made for the march to be held at the Brisbane Showgrounds at Bowen Hills. Queenslanders were last year urged to light candles at dawn to commemorate ANZAC Day, with most events cancelled due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the point of her government’s proposal to set up a quarantine hub in Toowoomba was to “make it safe for everyone”. Asked if there would be less international quarantining in Brisbane if the hub is set up at Wellcamp Airport, Ms Palaszczuk said: “It’s all about whether or not the federal government is going to allow international flights to land there”. “In all honesty this should have been set up by the federal government months ago,” she said. “They’ve had a year to do this.” She said her government could not go any further on the proposal until the federal government signed off on international arrivals at Toowoomba. There are no new COVID cases in Queensland today, with seven active cases currently in hotel quarantine.