Queensland hotel quarantine rules explained as hotspot influx forces pause on interstate arrivals

An influx of people moving from Covid hotspots has forced Queensland to place a two-week ban on interstate arrivals. NEW RULES EXPLAINED

The Palaszczuk Government has paused interstate arrivals without exemptions from entering Queensland, after an influx of people moving from hotspot zones overwhelmed the state’s systems.

It comes after days of Queensland Health and police trying to find a solution to the scores of people turning up at airports, and a dwindling supply of hotels to fit them in.

Authorities say they have no choice but to pause new arrivals for two weeks.

Who is impacted?

Anyone travelling here from NSW, Victoria and the ACT from midday today is impacted, whether you have a border pass or not.

People relocating to Queensland from interstate hotspots will be paused for two weeks as the state’s quarantine hotels reach capacity. Picture: Brad Fleet

This includes people who have exemptions to move here, and Queenslanders returning home who have to go into hotel quarantine.

People will be turned around and sent back if they turn up after then.

This doesn’t include people who have special exemptions to travel here for compassionate reasons, like bereavement or medical procedures.

Why was there so little notice?

Because authorities didn’t want people rushing to the airports to get here before the cut off time. They said hoards of people flying in today would have just made the situation even worse. People who fly in after the midday cut-off without an appropriate exemption will be turned away. And you can’t drive in either.

When can I come then?

The Queensland Government is setting up a new process whereby after the fortnight pause, people coming to Queensland will need to book a hotel quarantine room before they show up. People will also need to reapply for border passes.

Why is this necessary?

“Queensland is being loved to death”, according to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and it’s unsustainable. As of yesterday, 5114 people were in 22 quarantine hotels – 3257 from interstate and 1857 from overseas.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says quarantine hotels are stretched. Picture: Dan Peled

Between August 9 and 20, 2750 people were granted border passes to relocate to Queensland and nearly 2000 of those were in a single week.

Authorities complained they had no way of knowing how many people with exemptions were going to turn up on flights each day needing a hotel and it was getting to be too much of a scramble to find them rooms.

Authorities had been bringing more and more hotels online but chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says people need proper training to work in quarantine hotels and resources were just getting too stretched.

Queensland Health says it will post more information here soon: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19

Originally published as Queensland hotel quarantine rules explained as hotspot influx forces pause on interstate arrivals