Queensland border roadmap:Everything you need to know ahead of reopening

Queensland’s border will reopen on Monday,with travellers warned there will be delays entering the state.

As of 1am on December 13,when the state is expected to have reached its 80 per cent vaccination target,those who are fully vaccinated from interstate hotspots can arrive by road or air,and no quarantine is required.

They must provide a negative COVID test in the previous 72 hours.

International arrivals must also be fully vaccinated and return a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure.

Queensland has recorded one new local case of COVID-19 after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the reopening of the border on December 13 to the fully vaccinated.

They will be required to get a test on arrival and must go into home or hotel quarantine for 14 days.

Travellers will no longer have to wait two weeks to be considered fully vaccinated - one is enough - but anyone from a hotspot must get a test on day five after their arrival.

Those on the border who are vaccinated will be able to move freely into the state without needing a PCR test,but border passes will still be required,which will be valid for 14 days.

Authorities say people who are not vaccinated will be restricted to travel for the limited reasons that exist now.

The road border,sealed since July 22 amid Sydney’s Delta outbreak after an extended closure in 2020,had been flagged to reopen on December 17 unless the 80 per cent vaccination target was met sooner.

The reopening will see families reunited after months of separation.

“I know people have said to me personally some of them haven’t seen their grandkids for the first time,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters this week.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Getty Images

“Some of them haven’t seen their aunts and uncles,their mothers and fathers. This is going to be a very,very special time of the year.”

Once the 80 per cent target has been reached,unvaccinated people will be banned from a range of venues including cafes,pubs,and hospitals,while restrictions for businesses and fully vaccinated people will ease.

After confusion surrounding whether travellers would need a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to enter the state,state authorities saida standard text message result sent to people under the standard free national testing regime would be accepted.

Meanwhile,the federal government has pushed back the date for international students and othervisa holders from December 1 to December 15, following the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Home quarantine rules:

Returning Queenslanders and eligible interstate travellers are able to home quarantine now the 70 per cent double-dose vaccination mark has been reached.

People can quarantine at any self-contained dwelling,as long as it has no shared common areas that are accessible by people outside the household.

Travellers will be able to arrive at any Queensland airport,but can transit to another destination only if they go through Brisbane.

People will be allowed to drive to their home quarantine residence,as long as it is within two hours without stopping. Travel can be by private car,a hire car with contactless pick-up or an endorsed transport provider.

People wanting to home quarantine must still:

At 90 per cent vaccinated

There will be no entry restrictions or quarantine for vaccinated arrivals from interstate or overseas at 90 per cent vaccination coverage.

The target is expected to be reached in January.

Unvaccinated travellers will need to apply for a border pass or enter within the international arrival cap,and undertake up to 14 days’ quarantine (subject to review by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee).

Tuesday,November 9:COVID-19 restrictions will lift for fully vaccinated Queenslanders in venues like pubs and restaurants on December 17 or once 80 per cent of the state is fully vaccinated.

Travel for visa holders (pushed back to December 15)

Subject to review,from December 15,fully vaccinated eligible visa holders – which includes skilled and student cohorts,humanitarian,working holidaymaker and provisional family visa holders – can enter Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption.

Travellers must:

Fully vaccinated citizens from Japan and the Republic of Korea will also be allowed to enter Australia. They must hold a valid Australian visa to travel from their home country without quarantining to participating states and territories.

These travellers must:

Cloe Read is the crime and court reporter at Brisbane Times.

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