How border pass system will work once Queensland hits 70 per cent fully vaccinated

People looking to enter Queensland once 70 per cent are fully vaccinated and borders reopen have been told to start preparing now to avoid delays.

Returning Queenslanders hoping to avoid delays have been urged to start planning as the state nears 70 per cent double vaccinated.

Currently, 69.39 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, with the 70 per cent target to be potentially met by early as Sunday.

Once that occurs, people from Covid hotspots will be able to arrive via air as long as they are fully vaccinated and have had a negative test 72 hours before arriving.

They will also need to complete 14 days home quarantine.

People will be allowed to start returning to Queensland via air once the state hits 70 per cent fully vaccinated. Picture David Clark

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said it was expected to take up to 24 hours after the 70 per cent target was reached before the border pass system went live.

However, she urged people to start planning early so they could upload the necessary information into the system and have all the necessary criteria met.

“When we hit that 70 per cent mark, at that stage people can start booking their flights, going off and getting their test and waiting for their negative results.

“Once they have all that information – they’ve got their vaccination status, their negative tests and their flights – they can go onto the border pass system and they can put that in.”

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: Bronwyn Farr.

Ms D’Ath said health authorities had been testing a “dummy system” with about 14,000 people, and was confident it would work as intended once it went live.

She said she did not expect any delays for people trying to enter Queensland or issues with people cheating the system.

“If you think you can rort the system, if you think you can get a border pass and get on a plane and get off the other end and not be caught … you will be found out,” Ms D’Ath said.

Ms D’Ath said people would not be able to enter using a rapid antigen test as they were not as accurate as PCR tests.

She said the 24-hour delay between the target being reached and the border pass system going live was needed to ensure authorities, including police, were prepared.

“Be patient, we understand people will be wanting to get on flights quickly and come back, but there is no cap, so when you can comply with all that criteria, the border pass will be automatic.”