Fury over Annastacia Palaszczuk’s open letter as Queensland border reopens

Annastacia Palaszczuk has thanked residents over Qld’s border opening but it came with a warning to those who break the rules.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has thanked residents for making the state’s border opening a reality but it has come with a warning to those who break the rules.

It’s been an emotional day for the Sunshine State, which reopened to hotspot states Victoria and New South Wales at 1am today – leading to joyful scenes at Brisbane Airport as thousands of Aussies were finally let in.

But while noting the “special time”, she warned that authorities were ready for those who break the rules and urged tourists to follow the state’s health guidelines.

“If they are not abiding by the rules, they are putting the whole state at risk, so people know very clearly there are heavy fines associated if you do not do the right thing,” said Ms Palaszczuk.

“Tourists coming into the state who are not abiding by the rules would be putting the entire state at risk.

“With a lot more people, we know that the virus is going to spread.”

Fury over Anna’s open letter

Some people have been left fuming over an open letter from Ms Palaszczuk, in which the Queensland Premier celebrated her state’s border finally coming down.

Commemorating the milestone, Ms Palaszczuk issued “a big thank you to the way Queenslanders have handled this pandemic”.

“It’s been nearly two years. Tragically, we’ve lost seven lives. But the results have been really unprecedented compared to the rest of the world,” she went on.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has thanked Queenslanders for keeping the state safe. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

“Our businesses have been able to function. Our children have gone to school. And we’ve fought back and contained more than 50 separate outbreaks.

“The credit here belongs to every single Queenslander. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. This is going to be a very, very special time of the year. And as a government, we’ve been very conscious of how important this is to reunite families.

“To all the Queensland Health employees and to every Queenslander who’s gone and got vaccinated, I really do appreciate you doing this. Queensland’s cautious approach has kept Queensland safe. We will live with Covid – but on our terms.

“We must continue to protect the freedoms Queensland has enjoyed throughout the pandemic and the best way to do that is to continue getting vaccinated.”

Thank you, Queensland. pic.twitter.com/NGFV1blgeI

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) December 12, 2021

Some people took the opportunity to thank the Premier for keeping her state safe.

“I cried reading this. The last two years have been mentally exhausting. As a (healthcare worker) I am grateful to those who got vaccinated. I hope our future is full of kindness, thoughtfulness to others more vulnerable and wellness. Thank you Premier for protecting us!!” one woman wrote.

“Thank you Premier for your cautious risk management approach in keeping Queenslanders safe and acting in the best interests of our State,” commented another.

“We have lived like there wasn’t a pandemic taking place for the most part here in Queensland. You’ve saved lives and I for one am incredibly grateful,” wrote another.

But others took it upon themselves to air their grievances, saying the Premier wasn’t taking responsibility for the hardship she’d caused.

“No welcome home to those Queenslanders your government has kept locked out for months now?” one wrote.

“You are kidding, aren’t you? Families have been separated, Queenslanders couldn’t come home. Businesses have been destroyed,” commented another, while a third person pointed out that “families were only separated because of your savage border rules in the first place”.

There were emotional scenes at Brisbane Airport this morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

It’s been a happy day for those returning to the Sunshine State. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

And then there were those who wrote they wished Ms Palaszczuk never lifted the border at all, declaring the opening was “vastly premature”.

“ … and today we are letting Covid in to QLD. Happy Christmas,” one man wrote. “Let’s see how long before we’re locked down again.”

“You put our kids at risk by opening QLD,” wrote another.

There were 10 new Covid cases recorded in the state on Monday – including one locally acquired case on the Sunshine Coast.

There were another seven in home quarantine and two infections acquired overseas.

Chief health officer John Gerrard said Queensland will definitely see an increasing number of incursions, including people unwittingly bringing the virus over.

“Up until now, because of the high vaccination rates, we’ve been seeing spot fires that have been brought under control,” Dr Gerrard said.

“As time goes by it is highly likely, it is inevitable that cases will increase. How many we see and when this will occur is still unclear.”

Originally published as Fury over Annastacia Palaszczuk’s open letter as Queensland border reopens