Overview
If you're a Queenslander with a trip to Melbourne in your future — or vice versa — the pandemic has just interrupted your plans. With the Victorian capital about to start a seven-day lockdown in an attempt to contain the northern suburbs COVID-19 cluster, the Sunshine State is declaring the state a coronavirus hotspot. And, as a result, Queensland will close its borders to all of Victoria.
The change was announced today, Thursday, May 27, and will come into effect at 1am tomorrow, Friday May 28. It applies to the entire state — unlike the last declaration back in February, which only covered Greater Melbourne.
Accordingly, folks who've been in Victoria will no longer be permitted to enter Queensland, unless they receive an exemption and then go into government quarantine for 14 days. This affects anyone coming into Queensland who has been to Victoria in the past 14 days. And, if you arrive in the Sunshine State from Victoria during the remainder of today, you'll be required to go into a seven-day lockdown at home, just as if you were still down south.
Queensland's Border Declaration Passes are also currently in effect for folks who've been in Victoria in the past fortnight, too.
Earlier in the week, Queensland made a similar move, but limited to the City of Whittlesea local government area. Under that hotspot declaration, which came into effect at 1am on Wednesday, May 26, anyone who has been in the local government area since Tuesday, May 11 and enters Queensland is required to go into hotel quarantine
For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 border restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. For more information about COVID-19 in Victoria and the state's current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health website.