Live in Regional QLD? Your Local Might Be Open This Saturday

Pubs throughout parts of outback Queensland will swing open their doors this Saturday, as COVID-19 restrictions are eased around the state and thirsty punters are given freedom to enjoy the sweet, crisp bite of a schooner on the lips again. Licensed venues in certain areas will be allowed to operate with a maximum of 20 patrons—as long as social distancing measures are still respected—and a truck loaded with about 3,000 litres of free beer is driving into the outback to supply them, the ABC reports.

State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared that the 60 kegs of beer, donated by XXXX, would travel more than 1,000 kilometres west into the country to places like Blackall, Barcaldine, Ilfracombe, and Longreach, making sure the pubs there are amply stocked with what she described as “liquid gold”.

“The pubs are ready,” she said. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot of happy patrons, a lot of happy families, and let the XXXX Gold start flowing."

XXXX, for their part, are just doing what they can to get the taps flowing at pubs and clubs again, in a bid to kickstart what they believe is the "cultural lifeblood" of regional Queensland’s communities.

"The level of excitement from the operators is exceptional and speaking to locals within these communities they are absolutely delighted that pubs and clubs are opening up," sales director Pat Donohue told the ABC. "We're hoping everyone is going to tap their kegs and get those locals together and I guess bring sociability back to the outback."

As the restrictions are lifted, Queensland council workers have been given extra powers to monitor compliance with the new measures and issue fines to anyone caught breaking the rules. Restaurants, cafes, and certain businesses will be allowed up to 10 customers at a time as of this weekend.

At the time of writing Queensland has seen a total of 1,052 confirmed cases of COVID-19, but only 18 of those are still active.

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