THE Queensland Government will not be giving out Seniors Week grants this year as the pandemic impacts the popular annual event.
"We will be deferring our usual Seniors Week grants until 2021, when the community can take full advantage of coming together again in person," said Minister for Seniors Coralee O'Rourke.
While Queensland's Seniors Week 2020 will go ahead in August, events will now take place both online and offline.
"We were originally looking forward to having an entire month of celebrations in August to mark the 60th anniversary of Seniors Week, but the COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately had an impact on those plans," said Ms O'Rourke.
"As the theme says, we will still be Celebrating Queensland Seniors, with the usual week-long celebration which will take place from 15-23 August.
"We will also be making some changes to ensure people can participate and engage in the safest way possible while acknowledging social distancing requirements."
"It's important to remember that even though some restrictions are easing, not everything is yet back to how it was before the pandemic," said Mrs O'Rourke.
"We need to be mindful of this when planning events, which is why the Seniors Week program will include a mixture of online and offline activities.
Ms O'Rourke said the government had been working with Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland to get things on track for August.
Mrs O'Rourke said she hoped the online format would encourage participation from seniors right across Queensland, including those in remote or regional areas.
"This will open up Seniors Week to people who ordinarily wouldn't be able to travel and experience this kind of community celebration."
Virtual events and performances can now be registered at www.qldseniorsweek.org.au or by phoning 07-3316-2908
