Coronavirus FIFO worker ban: QLD border to be closed from Saturday night

Interstate FIFO workers employed by Queensland mining companies and who are not critical to operations will soon be banned from entering the state under strict COVID-19 rules.

Queensland will close its borders to interstate FIFO mines workers unless they are deemed critical to a project’s operations.

The crackdown will come into effect from 11.59pm on Saturday, April 4.

Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said exempting critical people would ensure resources projects could continue to produce the mineral and energy resources that were needed.

It will mean about 500 interstate workers will be allowed into Queensland, while about 1000 won’t.

“It is critical that we move now to prevent people who may have been exposed to the virus bringing it to Queensland,” Dr Lynham said.

Fly-in fly-out mining workers and contractors arrive via Qantas at the Moranbah airport.

“Queensland has no known cases in our remote, regional communities, and restricting these workers from entering the state will remove a possible transmission route.”

The ban will also exempt people in statutory positions as required by legislation.

The changes do not affect FIFO or DIDO workers travelling from within Queensland.

Dr Lynham said most of Queensland’s resources companies had already stepped up their procedures in response to the pandemic.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the sector was strictly following advice from Queensland Health and had introduced additional measures to protect communities in which it operated.

Meanwhile existing staff from the Justice Department will help Queensland Health and Police by ringing those in self-isolation to make sure they weren’t breaching orders.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the staff would also help contact trace.

“We need to be throwing everything that we have at this to make sure that we are helping health do this enormous job,” she said.

It’s understood about 100 staff will initially be deployed.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has been appointed to head the new team.

“There may be additional people from law enforcement agencies,” the Premier said.

“They have one job and their job is to make sure people are complying.

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“Police are checking up on people, so let me give you that warning out there to people who are on those orders, police are checking up on you, but the Department of Justice people will be contacting you and making sure that you know you must be staying home for the protection of not just yourself, but your family and your community.”

The Attorney-General said the Government wanted to make sure that when Queensland Health says, “We need to ramp this up”, that support was ready.