Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher has welcomed interstate travellers to the region after borders reopened

Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher MP has welcomed interstate travellers to the Gladstone region after Queensland opened its borders today. Read more of his message here:

Hon Glenn Butcher, Member for Gladstone (ALP), Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water, Queensland Parliament Question Time, Brisbane. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher has welcomed interstate travellers from Covid-19 hot spots after Queensland’s borders reopened to the fully vaccinated today.

It comes as federal government data released Monday showed 77.2 per cent of the Gladstone population aged 15 or over was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 87.8 per cent had received their first dose of a vaccine.

Glenn Butcher MP said with the border reopening, he welcomed the opportunity for families to reunite. “Many of whom have been separated for great lengths of time,” Mr Butcher said.

“Gladstone has so much to offer any time of the year, is at a high vaccination rate and should reach 80 per cent fully vaccinated before Christmas.

“It is great that families will be celebrating the Christmas break together.

“People can feel quite safe coming to visit and participate in our community and the vaccination clinics remain open if you are not yet vaccinated.

“Vaccination is one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves and those around us from the virus.”

In the past 24 hours there has been eight local Covid-19 cases declared in Queensland, which takes Queensland’s total number of cases to 549.

More than 81 per cent of the state have had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with 88.2 per cent being fully vaccinated against the disease.