Overview
If you're a Queenslander who is currently in New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory and you've been thinking about heading home, the Sunshine State has put a timeline on your return. The same applies to NSW and ACT residents pondering a holiday up north, or to anyone who has been in the two areas in the past 14 days and plans to mosey up to Queensland sometime soon — with the state implementing new border restrictions from 1am on Saturday, August 8.
When the weekend kicks in, Queensland will completely close its border to NSW and ACT, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today, Wednesday, August 5. Both regions have now been declared hotspots by Queensland's Chief Health Officer, which means that all visitors from NSW and ACT will be denied entry to Queensland, except for rare exemptions and returning Queenslanders. If you fall into those categories, you'll have to fork out for a 14-day stretch of mandatory hotel quarantine.
The Premier advised that exemptions will be limited, however, including for compassionate reasons. During the shutdown, the aim is to only allow folks who live in border communities and essential workers such as truck drivers to cross. Anyone who fits that description will need to obtain a pass, with those who reside in the area requiring proof of address and photo identification to do so.
The move comes in response to rising COVID-19 case numbers down south, and follows earlier decisions to ban visitors from Victoria, as well as several parts of NSW — once Queensland started reopening its border in mid-July to interstate travellers, that is. The restrictions on NSW visitors started with the Campbelltown, Liverpool and Fairfield City local government areas, then spread to include the entirety of Greater Sydney, a limit that came into effect this past weekend.
"I know it's going to be tough on Queenslanders," Premier Palaszczuk explained. "But your health comes first. We need to protect not only our health, we need to protect the families, we need to protect our economy. We've seen what's happened in Victoria. We don't want to see that happening here."
The Premier also stressed that Queenslanders shouldn't be thinking about travelling south. "It's also very important that Queenslanders stay in Queensland. Now is not the time to travel to New South Wales. Now is not the time to travel to Victoria," she said.
The border closure with NSW and the ACT will be in effect at least until the end of August, when the Queensland Government will undertake a review.
From 1am on Saturday, August 8, anyone who has visited New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory in the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter Queensland unless they are a returning resident or are entering for one a few essential reasons. For more information, head to the Queensland Government website.
Image: Yun Huang Yong via Flicker.