Qld border reopening: The date you must get your jab to be safe when state reopens

Unvaccinated Queenslanders have less than two weeks to get their first Covid jab if they want to be protected against the virus when the border reopens on the target date of December 17, the Premier has warned.

Unvaccinated Queenslanders have less than two weeks to get their first Covid jab if they want to be protected against the virus if the border reopens on the target date of December 17, Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned.

The Premier on Tuesday revealed no new cases were recorded for the 14th consecutive day, but again urged regions that were lagging behind to do more to get vaccinated.

Speaking from Rockhampton, one of the state’s worst performers for vaccinations, Ms Palaszczuk said there was a window of opportunity in central Queensland to get vaccinated.

“That’s a big problem,’ she said.

“We have 12 days for people to come and get vaccinated if you want to be fully protected by December 17.”

Ms Palaszczuk also confirmed that masks won’t be required once the state hits 80 per cent fully vaccinated, while also warning people that venues could begin to shut out people who hadn’t been vaccinated.

She also did not rule out banning the unvaccinated from government facilities but said that issue had not been “canvassed” yet.

She said there were about 400,000 people across the state who had not yet been vaccinated.

“We know that when you’re at 80 per cent double vaccinated it gives a lot more certainty to your community and you will be able to feel very safe,” she said.

“But at the moment I’m looking here at central Queensland - 62.9 per cent have had their single dose.

“Those figures are not good enough.”

Local member Brittany Lauga likened the expected explosion of cases to a natural disaster and urged her constituents to treat Covid-19 in the same way.

“When we know there is a disaster coming we prepare and we are really, really good at that here in central Queensland,” she said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called on the regions to get vaccinated. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath spoke in Mackay on Tuesday to push regional communities to get their jab following the town’s most successful week yet with 10,666 vaccinations.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young made it clear the virus would not discriminate once it made it into the state after the border reopened.

“Every single person will be exposed and is going to get infected,” she said.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said there was no time to waste to get vaccinated

“Make no mistake, Delta is coming, it is coming to Central Queensland, it is coming to our state,” he said.

He said some businesses would change how they operated and the only way to ensure you would be able to go to every pub, club, see live music and go to concerts was to be vaccinated.

Dr Young said the QIMR Berghofer modelling showed that cases could end up at 1200 a day by August 2021.

“You will end up with clusters in different parts of the state,” Dr Young said.

She said QR codes were essential going forward so close contact could still be identified quickly and put into quarantine.

“We normally run about 300 ICU beds... we have trained more staff and we have identified areas where we can put increased ICU capacity... we have plenty of beds of course, we have plenty of ventilators,” she said.

“We can rapidly increase that to 600 beds.”

She said the worst-case scenario in the modelling showed Queensland could need 400 ICU beds.

Dr Young said the home quarantine system would work as it did now.

The current trial under way was working “very well”, she said.

From November 19, Queenslanders stuck interstate will be able to fly in anywhere in the state and quarantine at home.

People need to make sure they have a safe way of getting home, need to be double vaccinated, have had a negative covid test within 72 hours and anyone else in the household would need to quarantine with them.

It comes as Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said he believed the state could and should open even sooner, with figures pointing at a November 25 reopening, rather than December 17, putting even more pressure on the unvaccinated.

Mr Tate claimed that based on current modelling, the Queensland border should “come down on November 25 … for good’’, rather than the date spruiked by Ms Palaszczuk on Monday.

Mr Tate said he believed November 25 is the date when 80 per cent of eligible Queenslanders could be double-vaxxed, and that Ms Palasczcuk’s nominated date was too conservative.

His response came following Monday’s announcement of the expected reopening date of December 17, when the Premier said the state is due to hit 80 per cent vaccinated, but wants her to commit to an earlier reopening date.

Regardless of the poor showing from the regions, Mr Tate claimed the state was on track to hit the 80 per cent milestone by November 25.

A copy of the figures Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says shows Queensland could hit the 80 per cent vaccinated target by November 25.

“I’ve analysed the statistics including the surge in Covid vaccination uptake over the weekend and it confirms that if we keep that trend up, the Queensland-NSW border fencing should be ripped up and thrown out the dump on November 25 – not December 17,’’ he said.

“November 25 is an achievable date for 80 per cent double vaccination across Queensland, including the Gold Coast.

“Every day counts when it comes to small business and tourism. We could even stretch it out to December 1 … but not December 17.

“An earlier date will also ensure thousands of Aussie families have the certainty to book a Queensland holiday. The current suggested date (December 17) is too close to Christmas and families will likely make other choices which is not what we want.

“My message is: small businesses are going broke, tourism is on its knees. Get vaccinated now and let’s make the real date November 25.

“I want to see Queenslanders smash the current dates and hit every target early. I make no apologies for standing up for small business as I know many of them, right now, are operating week to week trying to juggle their finances.’’

Regarding Mr Tate’s calls, the Premier said that would rely on people hitting the 80 per cent target earlier, adding that once the state’s borders reopened it would be “highly unlikely” they would ever need to close again.

Asked about how the hospitals would cope once the state experienced a peak in cases Ms Palaszczuk said: “There’s a lot of ICU beds, Dr Young has been preparing for this for 10 years.”

She said she was confident children would be protected.

“I’m very comfortable that the TGA said they were running tests for the Pfizer vaccine being used on children,” she said.

“The best way to protect your children is to get vaccinated.”

Mr Tate had already expressed his disappointment in the Queensland Covid Vaccine Plan border reopening plan announced on Monday, warning businesses would go broke in the two months leading up to December 17.

But Palaszczuk hit back saying Gold Coast businesses were busy, live on Sunrise this morning.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

“I was down at Burleigh the other weekend and you’re hard-pressed to find a cafe to get a seat at,” she told Sunrise on Tuesday morning.

“I don’t know what planet Tom Tate is living on but the best thing Tom Tate can do is get out there and tell his community to get vaccinated.

“I like Tom Tate, we get along really well but he’s wrong on this particular point.

“He needs to be on board and driving vaccinations so the businesses will be able to do even better in the Christmas and new year period.”