The Queensland government has extended its protective mask mandate to cinemas, theatres and for hospitality workers from 5 a.m. on Dec. 23. This comes one day after it reduced the quarantine period by half for peopled deemed close contacts of COVID-19 cases. Queensland had already made masks mandatory in retail centres, hospitals, aged care, airports, ridesharing vehicles, and on public transport. “Masks help slow the spread of the virus and we want Queenslanders to keep staying safe as borders open and families reunite,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote on Facebook on Dec. 22. Palaszczuk announced 186 new COVID-19 cases—the highest in Queensland since the pandemic began. But none of the new cases were in hospital wards requiring “COVID care,” she said. “We are seeing some preliminary advice is that the vaccines appear to be working and they are protecting Queenslanders from getting seriously sick,” she added. However, it was not clear whether …