Why Queensland is lagging behind Covid-stricken states for border reopening

Queensland borders remain closed as states begin to welcome home residents previously stuck overseas, with the Health Minister saying Covid-impacted NSW and Victoria have it ‘easier’.

It’s “easier” for New South Wales and Victoria to fling open its international borders than it is for Queensland, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has said.

As fully vaccinated Australians and permanent residents arrived home on the first day of the end of hotel quarantine via Sydney, fortress Queensland remained shut — with no signs the government will budge from its existing roadmap.

Queensland will open its interstate borders on December 17, but will not allow quarantine-free travel for international arrivals until at least 90 per cent of people aged 16 and older in the state are fully vaccinated.

Minister for Health Yvette D'Ath. Picture: Tara Croser.

Ms D’Ath signalled Queensland had opted to stage the reopening, at 80 per cent for interstate borders and 90 per cent for international borders, to stagger the “burden on the hospital” system.

“Even at the 80 per cent mark, that still means 20 per cent of our population 16 plus could end up getting this virus and end up seriously ill, now that’s a huge burden on the hospital system,” she said.

“We do need to make sure that we are managing our way (through this) … other states Victoria, New South Wales, have been in a very, very different position to the other states and territories that haven’t had major outbreaks and aren’t living with major outbreaks now.

Concerns over Queensland’s hospital system has caused the State Government to take a staggered approach to border reopening. Picture: David Clark

“It’s in effect a bit simpler when you’ve got 1500 plus cases every day to say well, it’s okay for people from overseas to come in with a virus because we’ve already got this virus spreading throughout our community.”

Ms D’Ath also confirmed that from November 19, when Queenslanders stuck in interstate hotspots are allowed to fly back into the state, people will be allowed to transit through Brisbane Airport to their regional base in order to undertake home quarantine.

Queenslanders can once again take to the sky at 80 per cent vaccination rate for domestic travel and 90 per cent for international travel. Picture: James D. Morgan/Getty Images

She said the state government was still finalising the criteria for home quarantine, though people should “assume and expect” that the rules currently in place for the trial will remain.

Any decision to cut the length of home quarantine from 14 days to seven days would need to come as overarching advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.