4pm. We’ll be back tomorrow with more
That’s all from us today on the #ipswichtogether COVID-19 daily blog.
We’ll be back again tomorrow from 8am. Stay safe and don’t forget to wash your hands.
3.00pm. Stay active and healthy
It’s important for both our physical and mental health to stay active.
But while gyms and fitness studios may still be closed, there’s plenty of ways to keep your body moving right now.
Outdoor gyms are open again, so why not get outside to your local park to do your own workout, or explore the hiking trails at White Rock or Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate.
Ipswich City Council’s Active at Home workouts are also online, with 30 minute workouts streamed daily at 8am on the Sport Ipswich Facebook page.
Check out the full list of workouts and activities for both kids and adults here or catch up on this morning’s yoga class with Sylvia.
2pm. Pick up some plants and give back to community
While many businesses have struggled with the effects of COVID-19, garden centres and nurseries have been busier than ever as more people tackle garden projects while staying home.
Gardening enthusiasts have flocked to the Salvation Army’s Watch Them Grow nursery at Riverview, which is usually only open for larger wholesale orders, but has opened up to all customers while other Salvos stores have been shut.
“It’s been a little hectic. We’ve definitely seen an increase in the number of people coming to the nursery,” horticulturist and nursery manager Larraine Doglione said.
“I think people know that they can get very good quality for the price here, and the money we generate here and down at the garden centre all goes back into the community, so you can grow your garden and support the community at the same time.”
Read more: Plants and personal growth: How gardening is helping the community
12.30pm. Your questions on COVID-19 answered
Confused about when you should get tested or what to do if someone you spent time with a week ago is now being tested?
Find out in the latest Q&A with Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young and ask your questions by posting it as a comment on the Facebook post.
11.30am. Have you been missing the movies?
Good news for movie-lovers. The Tivoli Drive in Theatre is back this Saturday 23 May.
They’ll be playing two family movies:
- Sonic the Hedgehog – 6.30pm start; and
- Playing with Fire – 8.30pm start
Spaces have been marked out for cars to allow for safe social distancing, and entry will be restricted to the first 180 vehicles, so come early to guarantee a spot.
You can also get take away meals and refreshments delivered to your car, with 100% of profits from Tivoli’s social enterprise cafe supporting local charities.
Preferred payment is by contactless cards to minimise handling of money.
10.30am. Explore epidemic exhibition with virtual tour
If you pop along to the Friends of Ipswich Hospital Museum Facebook page, you can go on a virtual tour of their current exhibition: Fevers, Infections and Epidemics in Ipswich (Plagues, Pustules, Poxes, Poultices and Pyrexias).
Here’s one image from the exhibition, which shows the Ipswich Hospital male ward from 1927, with beds covered in mosquito nets.
Courtesy: Friends of Ipswich Hospital Museum
In those days there was no airconditioning or screens on the hospital’s windows or doors, so the mosquito nets were necessary to protect patients not only from insect bites, but also from more deadly diseases such as Dengue and Ross River fever.
9.30am. Queenslanders encouraged to holiday close to home
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday encouraged Queenslanders to start planning a June intrastate holiday, as the state records zero new cases of COVID-19 overnight.
“Our schools are getting prepared for next week when everyone goes back to school on Monday,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“I want to thank all the principals and the school community for working together and we hope the safe return for all of our school students right across Queensland.
“We also know that the June school holidays will be coming up very shortly and of course with our road map it means that Queenslanders can travel up to 250 kilometres and they can holiday in Queensland in their regional areas.
“I really want to encourage everyone as much as possible to start planning those holidays and really back our tourism industry.
“A lot of people have been saying to me: can we actually travel in our school holidays?
“Absolutely, you can do those regional trips.
“I think that’s going to be wonderful for all of us. Queenslanders backing Queenslanders to go out and support our tourism sector as much as possible.”
9am. Our Libraries staff wear many hats
If your little ones are missing their visits to Ipswich Libraries for Storytime, they will enjoy this video.
Check out Ipswich Libraries’ public programming team sharing one of their favourites: ‘I Got This Hat’ by Kate & Jol Temple.
If you enjoyed the story, then be sure to head over to www.ipswichlibraries.com.au/whats-on/children/ where our Public Programming Team and Community Champions share plenty of stories and songs.
Next week, you’ll also be able to watch Ipswich Libraries staff get involved in the annual Australian Library and Information Association National Simultaneous Storytime.
8am. Thursday, 21 May 2020. One new case in Queensland
There is currently one active case COVID-19 in the West Moreton Health region and contact tracing is underway.
This is the first new case for Ipswich since April 1, bringing the region’s total of confirmed cases to 38, with 37 recovered.
There are 24 overseas acquired cases in Ipswich and four locally acquired for a total of 28.
There are also 12 active cases, 1040 recovered and six deaths for a total of 1058 state-wide.
There was one new active case reported in Queensland yesterday and also one recovery.
Tuesday, 19 May, was a record testing day, with almost 5,000 samples tested.
The Chief Health Officer added that there was capacity for 10,000 tests per day.
“We must open up our economy to the fullest extent possible as we go forward, but we can only do that if we manage the cases that we have, and we can only manage them if we know about them,” she said.
Currently, 1,014 of the 1,058 confirmed cases had recently travelled overseas or interstate, or had close contact with a confirmed case, such as their partner or flatmate.
A total of 163,560 tests for COVID-19 have been undertaken in Queensland, with 4,903 tests undertaken in the previous 24 hours.
Most Queenslanders who have contracted COVID-19 have experienced mild symptoms. Currently, four of the 12 active confirmed cases are in hospital, with one of these in intensive care. The remainder of active cases are currently recovering at home.
A total of 1,040 Queenslanders (98 per cent of total cases) have now recovered from COVID-19.
