Pause on interstate hotspot arrivals

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced an immediate pause on interstate hotspot arrivals into Queensland’s hotel quarantine.

From noon, no-one will be permitted to enter Queensland and enter hotel quarantine for a period of two weeks except for those with exemptions including for compassionate reasons.

The Premier said our hotels are full.

“This is about keeping Queenslanders safe,” the Premier said.

“Queensland is being loved to death.

“We have been overwhelmed by new arrivals from interstate hotspots relocating to Queensland to escape lockdowns in New South Wales and Victoria.

“While we have allowed genuine relocations for work and other purposes, it has overwhelmed our hotels and it has to be stopped at least for the next fortnight.”

As of yesterday, 5,114 people were in 22 quarantine hotels – 3,257 from interstate and 1,857 from overseas.

Between August 9 and 20, 2,750 were granted border passes to relocate to Queensland.

That includes 1,993 in a single week.

The Premier said that while Queensland has welcomed more than 30,000 moving from other states to a better life in Queensland, these numbers cannot be managed in hotel quarantine at the current rate.

New arrivals and Queensland residents will have to reapply for a border pass.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said these measures are about keeping Queensland safe.

“The pressures on hotel quarantine are simply unsustainable,” the minister said.

“We never know how many domestic arrivals we have from day to day.

“So far we have been able to accommodate them and I appreciate this is a major inconvenience, but we our first priority must be keeping Queenslanders safe.”

The requirements for the NSW border zone residents remain as is, and people will be able to access essential goods and services in Queensland.

For more information go to the Queensland Health website: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19 

Media contact:  Lucy Collier – 0409 461 324