Queensland reopens to vaccinated Australians after 229 days with a hard border
Vaccinated travellers are now allowed to enter Queensland for the first time since early 2021.
Queensland has reopened to vaccinated Australians, 229 days since imposing a hard border.
The sunshine state has dropped entry restrictions for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and can show a negative PCR test.
The easing follows the state reaching the 80 per cent double dose vaccination milestone last week, with tens of thousands expected to travel north for the festive season in a much-needed boost for tourism.
“The current situation for COVID on the Gold Coast is one that we’ve been preparing for, for two years,” District Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said on Friday.
“We are prepared and we are ready to deal with this and keep our community safe as we’ve done over the last nearly two years.”
Queensland Police will keep the same operations at five checkpoints on the NSW border, doing 100 per cent of compliance and border pass checks in quieter periods on the roads.
Border residents with ‘XV’ travel passes should expect stops from officers, Supt Wildman added, but those without should be prepared for officers to probe all required documentation.
On the eve of Monday’s reopening, Queensland recorded one new case of COVID-19 in a traveller who arrived from Nigeria.
The state sits at 81.2 per cent of people aged 16 and over double-dosed against the coronavirus, with 88.3 per cent having had at least one vaccination jab.
Source: sbs.com.au
