Queensland health authorities will be hoping for shorter COVID-19 testing queues today amid fears people are catching the virus while waiting in line.
The state yesterday scrapped the requirement for visitors and returnees to get a PCR test on the fifth day after their arrival, after recording more than 1000 daily cases for the first time.
Queensland recorded 1158 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, but Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said few were coming from the day-five tests.
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"Anybody who is waiting in lines now for their day five test kit, they will not be required to get them," she said yesterday.
Visitors to the state will still have to tick the box on their entry form that says they will get the day-five test, until the website is updated, but they won't be held to that commitment.
It's feared that the long queues for PCR tests are jeopardising peoples' health, with vulnerable individuals lining up near people with COVID-19 symptoms.
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But Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has previously said there were strong protocols in place to help prevent potential spread.
Today is the first day back from the public holiday break, meaning more clinics will be open for longer, with hopes it will shorten wait times.
Despite rising case numbers in Queensland, the state's hospitalisation figures remain low, with just six people needing treatment for COVID-19.
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