Queensland border pass confusion as motorists face heavy delays and Gold Coast quarantine numbers soar
Police are still working to determine what constitutes as a “cross-border resident” as motorists head to the border in large numbers ahead of tonight’s closure to NSW and the ACT.
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EARLIER:
POLICE are still working to determine what a “cross-border resident” is as motorists continue to rush back across the Queensland border.
Hotel quarantine numbers were soaring yesterday as people headed back into the state before it closes to NSW and the ACT on Saturday morning.
Police say 54 people were ordered into self-funded, 14-day hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast alone in the 24 hours to 4pm on Thursday after having visited COVID hotspots.
They include Queenslanders returning from COVID hotspots Victoria and Greater Sydney, as well as locals from those areas trying to cross the border.
Nineteen passengers were placed in compulsory quarantine after flying into Gold Coast Airport in the 24 hours to 4pm on Wednesday.
Police said 30 people were turned back at Coast road border checkpoints yesterday, bringing to 1064 the number refused entry since the border reopened on July 10.
More than 3000 people have been refused entry at all Queensland border crossings, with about 155,000 vehicles stopped and checked.
More than 100 passengers have been refused entry and put on return flights at Brisbane and Gold Coast airports.
Gold Coast police Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said quarantine orders were increasing as hotspot travellers tried to beat lengthy delays with the border closing.
Supt Wheeler said exemptions for border community residents were still being worked out and would be announced on Friday, but warned of “significant delays” at the checkpoints.
“If you do not qualify for one of those (exemption) passes, simply do not come to Queensland - do not try to enter Queensland because you’ll be turned around,” he warned.
“If you’re a returning Queensland resident, you’re encouraged to come home immediately, come home straight away. Try and do it before 1am on Saturday.
“If you’ve come from the current declared hotspot of Greater Sydney or the state of Victoria, of course you will have to go into quarantine which will be self-funded. But you’re better off coming home now.”
Supt Wheeler told the Bulletin on Thursday changes to the border system were going to cause “significant delays”.
He said residents in border towns could apply for exemptions to travel from Friday by providing identification, but the finer details were still being worked through.
BUSINESS OWNER’S BORDER NIGHTMARE
Traffic was already beginning to build up on the Pacific Motorway with 50 minute delays recorded on Thursday morning.
“Unfortunately, that will increase over the weekend and the days to come. That’s unavoidable, we have to ensure proper scrutiny of each vehicle and the occupants,” Supt Wheeler said.
“I’d anticipate it’s probably going to be a little bit worse (than the traffic we have seen previously) because we’ve seen such a large area declared as hot spots.
There are long lines at the Queensland/New South Wales border. There's just over a day to go before the state's borders are slammed shut to all residents of New South Wales, and the ACT. #covid19 #7NEWS https://t.co/8ZtWzPnTSY
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) August 6, 2020
“The entirety of Victoria, NSW and the ACT have all been declared and that’s a lot of people.
“As people either mistakenly or deliberately attempt to come into Queensland we have to deal with them individually, we have to deal with vehicles one by one, and of course that is going to lead to significant delays.
“Anecdotally we are seeing Queensland residents return, we’re seeing large numbers of Queenslanders having to go into self-funded quarantine and that will continue.”
New South Wales and the ACT will join Victoria as hot spots from Saturday 1am.
State disaster co-ordinator Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said people in a declared cross-border community would be able to apply for the new ‘X pass’ by Friday afternoon.
PREMIER WARNS SECOND WAVE WOULD COST QLD $4.8B
He said when applying for the pass online people would need to provide identification.
Mr Gollschewski said police were still working through the details of what encompasses a cross-border resident.
He urged people to be patient during the transition to the new system.
“The message is pretty clear, that as of 1am Saturday if you are not otherwise exempt … you’re not going to allowed into Queensland if you’re coming out of any of the declared hot spots.”
Originally published as Queensland border pass confusion as motorists face heavy delays and Gold Coast quarantine numbers soar