To protect the health of Queenslanders, wearing a face mask is mandatory in particular settings in Queensland, including at airports and on domestic commercial flights. If you remove your face mask for an appropriate reason, you must put it back on as soon as practicable.
You can be issued a $200 fine if you refuse to wear a face mask without a lawful reason or excuse.
Queensland airports
You must carry a face mask and wear it in all indoor areas of a Queensland airport as well as outdoor passenger transport and passenger waiting areas, such as carparks and taxi ranks.
Face masks do not need to be worn in outdoor areas of an airport unless you are in a passenger transport or passenger waiting area.
Air crew and airport workers who are not interacting directly with passengers do not need to wear a face mask.
Domestic commercial flights
You must wear a face mask at all times if you are on a domestic commercial flight while the plane is at a Queensland airport or in Queensland airspace.
Please note other states have similar rules in place regarding the wearing of face masks on planes and in airports.
Transport drivers
You must wear a face mask while transporting a person required to quarantine on a bus, coach service, taxi or ride-share to or from government hotels.
Quarantined persons
If you are arriving to Queensland from overseas or a COVID-19 hotspot and you are required to quarantine, you must wear a face mask while travelling from the airport on a bus, coach service, taxi or ride-share to your quarantine hotel. You must wear the mask until you arrive at your allocated room in government arranged accommodation.
Face masks are a useful measure to help control sustained community transmission. At this time, we do not have sustained community transmission in Queensland.
There are some environments however, that present a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission whether there is community transmission or not. It is necessary to wear masks in these high-risk environments to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in Queensland.
Identified high risk environments include airports, domestic flights and vehicles transporting people to and from quarantine hotels.
Where do I have to wear a face mask in a Queensland airport?
You must carry a face mask and wear it in all indoor areas of a Queensland airport as well as outdoor passenger transport and passenger waiting areas – for example at taxi ranks, public pickup areas, airport car parks, train platforms and skybridges.
Who doesn’t have to wear a face mask?
#exceptions
There are some exceptions to wearing a face mask in airports in Queensland, on domestic flights and in vehicles transporting people to and from quarantine hotels.
These exceptions include:
children under 12
a person eating, drinking or taking medicine
where visibility of the mouth is essential – for example, a person communicating to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, a teacher or live broadcasting
a person with a particular medical condition or disability that may be made worse by wearing a mask – for example, a person who has breathing difficulties, a serious skin condition on their face, a mental health condition or psychological impacts from experienced trauma
a person undergoing medical treatment – for example, a person receiving first aid
if a person is asked to remove a face mask for identity
if wearing a mask creates a risk to a person’s health and safety
in an emergency or when required by law – for example, if a customs officer requires a person to remove their mask for a cavity search
in any circumstances where it is not safe to wear a face mask
if you are an air crew member or an airport worker who is not interacting directly with passengers.
If you remove your face mask for any reason, you must put it back on as soon as practicable.
Do I have to provide a medical certificate to prove I can't wear a mask due to my medical condition?
If a service provider, school or employer asks for a medical certificate to confirm you have a lawful medical reason for not wearing a mask before entering their premises, this may amount to unlawful discrimination.
Whether it is lawful will depend on whether asking you to provide the medical certificate is reasonably necessary to protect the health and safety of other people, such as other customers or employees.
Do I have to wear a mask if I’m driving a vehicle with no passengers?
No. You do not need to wear a mask if you are driving a vehicle without passengers.
Do I have to wear a face mask if I am not interacting directly with passengers?
Air crew and airport workers who do not interact directly with passengers do not need to wear a mask. If you are in the airport where passengers are present, you must wear a face mask.
What type of mask can I wear? Will it be provided to me?
You must obtain your own face mask. The best face mask is a single-use surgical mask – you can purchase these at pharmacies. If you are unable to get a surgical mask, any cloth mask with at least 3 layers is permitted.
How can I wear a face mask if I have a hearing aid or wear garments that cover my head or face?
If you wear a hearing aid we recommend considering wearing a mask that ties around your head, rather than over the ears to ensure the ties do not get tangled in your hearing aid.
There are a range of face masks available that can be worn with traditional and religious garments. These include face masks that are tied around the head, rather than looped over the ears. If you wear a face covering, like a veil or scarf, you should wear your face mask beneath this covering your nose and mouth.
How do I wear a mask correctly if I have a big beard?
Ensure the mask covers your nose and mouth, regardless of any facial hair. For non-medical face masks, you do not have to achieve a seal with the mask against the skin of your face.
There are different shapes and sizes of fabric non-medical masks available, some of which may be a more comfortable option if you have facial hair.
Who are air crew and airport workers?
Air crew means a person on a commercial domestic flight landing or taking off in Queensland who is:
a pilot or crew member providing essential safety or maintenance functions or cabin crew member actively servicing a commercial domestic flight
an off-shift pilot or crew member providing essential safety or maintenance functions or cabin crew member travelling to reposition to commence duty in Queensland or another State or Territory
an aeromedical services crew member providing patient transport or emergency medical care to a patient
an off-shift aeromedical services crew member who is travelling as a passenger on an aircraft to reposition to commence duty in Queensland or another State of Territory.
Airport worker means someone required to perform work in a Queensland airport, including:
an engineer or other technical staff
a cleaner
a baggage handler
a person involved in the delivery or removal of food, goods or other things in connection with an aircraft
an employee of an airline other than air crew
a person providing law enforcement or border security services.
Can I remove my face mask to smoke or use an e-cigarette?
Yes, subject to existing restrictions on smoking in public places in Queensland.
While there isn’t enough evidence to be certain that people who smoke are more likely to be infected by COVID-19, the act of smoking means that fingers are in contact with your lips which increases the possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth.
Airlines can stop someone from boarding a domestic flight or flying with the airline (for a period of time determined by the airline) if they refuse to wear a face mask.
Although airlines are not responsible for enforcing compliance with the Mandatory Face Masks Direction, they can report non-compliance to the Queensland Police Service or Australian Federal Police through their current processes.
Queensland Police Service and Australian Federal Police officers may take action if a person refuses to wear a face mask without a lawful reason. A person may be given a move-on direction to not board a flight or to leave the airport for up to a 24 hour period. If someone refuses a police direction to wear a mask, Police officers can issue an on-the-spot fine of $200, an infringement notice, or a notice to appear in court.