Overview
The status of Queensland's borders has changed multiple times in 2020, and whether they're open to other states or not has attracted ample public and political attention over the past few months. At present, the Sunshine State has closed off access to anyone who has been in Victoria, New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory in the past 14 days — and, as revealed today, Monday, August 17, that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
When the last border restrictions were announced on August 5, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk noted that they'd be reviewed at the end of the month. In her latest press conference, however, she said that the state's borders won't reopen until New South Wales and Victoria no longer have any COVID-19 cases that were acquired by community transmission.
"We do not have any intentions of opening any borders whilst there is community transmission active in Victoria and in New South Wales," the Premier advised. "I think we're going to continue to see restrictions in Victoria up until around Christmas time. That's very unfortunate for people living down there, but it's a serious situation. You only have to look at what's happening around the world — and we don't want to see that happen here."
The Premier also explained that, in good news for Queenslanders, "there has been no evidence of community transmission in Queensland now for 28 days". That's particularly significant given that the past month has seen several health alerts issued regarding areas of Brisbane that have been visited by a number of people with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
In case you're not 100-percent up-to-date with Queensland's border situation — or you need a refresher — the state is completely shut to folks in Victoria, NSW and the ACT, which have been declared hotspots by Queensland's Chief Health Officer. That means that all visitors from all three states and territories 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.
As the Premier has previously advised, exemptions are limited, 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.
Queensland's borders are currently closed to everyone in Victoria, NSW and the ACT, unless they are a returning resident or are entering for one a few essential reasons. For more information, head to the Queensland Government website.