Covid-19 Australia: Queensland welcomes all of Australians as border opens first time in 141 days

Queensland has welcomed the first wave of travellers after the state opened its borders to all of Australia for the first time in 141 days.

Hundreds of drivers queued at the NSW/QLD border overnight to be the first to pass into the Sunshine State at 1am on Monday.

Emotional scenes unfolded as the first of the cars drove through the checkpoints – the final hurdle for many drivers to be reunited with their loved ones. 

‘We’re going up to see our son in Townsville, which we haven’t seen in two years,’ one driver said at the border town of Coolangatta. ‘And our new grandson.’ 

Drivers have been warned to expect a long wait in queue with up to an hour traffic delay along the M1 and 50,000 vehicles expected to make the crossing today. 

Travellers flying in by plane also queued in line at a packed out terminal as they waited to pass through the arrival check-in at Brisbane Airport.

Passengers embraced loved-ones who had been waiting for them eagerly on the other side of the gates.   

As many as 90,000 people are expected to cross over the state border by plane and car every single day. 

The first of the arrivals touch down in Queensland as the state reopened its border on Monday

Queensland has welcomed the first wave of travellers after the state opened its borders for the first time in 141 days (pictured, journalist Davina Smith)

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski expects drivers to account for the majority with 60,000 cars entering the state.

The figure is a sharp increase to the 20,000 that crossed every day when borders were closed in July. 

‘What we will see will be more than double that,’ deputy commissioner Gollschewski said.

‘We could see up to 60,000 vehicles (crossing into Queensland) per day.’ 

Journalist Davina Smith was among the first of the eager drivers to enter the state who documented the long wait in queue.

‘Here we are, after about six months, we are almost in Queensland,’ she said.

‘We got just short of the border at before 4am, about 2kms away. Immediately, Google Maps said we’ve got about an hour wait to get there.’ 

Domestic arrivals by plane are expected to jump from 18,000 to 30,000 a day. 

Some 500 police officers have been deployed at the border checkpoints to check cars and vaccine passes. 

It is the state’s biggest police operation since the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Steve Kemp admitted the border closure had been hard and blamed it for keeping him separated from his family. 

‘I’ve missed out on my daughter’s wedding, seven of my grandkids birthdays, Father’s Day,’ he said.

Journalist Davina Smith was among the first of the eager drivers to enter the state who documented the long wait in queue

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk locked its southern border 141 days ago, the third time it was slammed shut since the coronavirus pandemic began. Now it’s finally open

Barbara Hanson labelled it ‘traumatic and soul destroying’ before taking aim at premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. 

‘I’d like to put Annastacia in a caravan, and park her out here and say right you can’t get back to your home now,’ she said.

Ms Palaszczuk locked its southern border 141 days ago, the third time it was slammed shut since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Families spent five months separated, and for much of that even locals were unable to return home and lived as broke, homeless refugees in NSW. 

The state’s tourism suffered greatly with its main supply cut off. Throughout the pandemic, Queensland spent 435 days in total with closed borders.

Ms Palaszczuk, her ministers, and former chief health officer Jeannette Young refused to open them despite rising public outcry and increasing evidence they were unnecessary.

The border was so strict that gravely ill patients in northern NSW had to be flown to Sydney, one losing her unborn child, and family denied exemptions for funerals or to see dying relatives one last time. 

Borders finally open as the state reaches its reopening target of 80 per cent of the population with two doses of the Covid vaccine

All that is finally over as the state reaches its reopening target of 80 per cent of the population with two doses of the Covid vaccine.

Visitors from NSW, Victoria, and the ACT resumed travelling to the state from 1am on December 13, with massive lines at border crossings.

The reopening was originally slated for four days later, on December 17.

However, as life finally gets easier for the vast majority of Queenslanders and those who want to enter the state, it will be much harder for those refusing to vaccinate. 

All unvaccinated people in the state will be banned from venues such as restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, theatres, cinemas and sporting venues from December 17. 

Queensland Police Commissioner Katerina Carroll said motorists should expect lengthy delays at the border

All visitors, regardless of their vaccination status or where they arrive from, need to get a Queensland entry pass. 

Domestic vaccinated visitors will be able to arrive by air and road without the need to quarantine after arrival. 

Visitors who have been in a declared Covid hotspot within 14 days of arriving in Queensland will need to produce a negative Covid-19 test result.  

A second test will be required within five days of arriving in the state for those coming from a declared hotspot.

A person will no longer have to wait two weeks after a second Covid dose to be considered vaccinated. 

Areas considered hotspots are all of NSW, Victoria, and the ACT, along with parts of South Australia and the Northern Territory affected by Covid outbreaks. 

Unvaccinated travellers will only be allowed to fly into Queensland and will need to go into hotel quarantine for 14 days.

Residents in the border zone who are vaccinated will be able to move freely across the border for any reason.

A border pass will be required and will be valid for 14 days but a Covid test will not be required. 

Unvaccinated residents in the border zone will be restricted to travel for the limited essential reasons that already apply.   

Australians stranded overseas can also arrive in Queensland for the first time since the pandemic began, but unlike Victoria and NSW they must do a full 14-day quarantine. 

International arrivals must be vaccinated, return a negative test within 72 hours of departure, and must do 14 days of home or hotel quarantine. 

Quarantine will be scrapped for vaccinated international travellers once 90 per cent of eligible people in the state are immunised.

After a confusing disagreement between the state and Federal governments over the cost of the PCR tests required to gain entry, Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed on November 23 the tests would be covered by Medicare.

The entry requirements are expected to last until Queensland reaches 90 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated, expected in early January.

Ms Palaszczuk said the 90 per cent make might be reached before the end of December.    

The premier announced the re-opening of  Queensland’s borders to NSW, Victoria and ACT residents by road and air will start from 1am on December 13

Residents in the border zone who are vaccinated will be able to move freely across the border for any reason. A border pass will be required and will be valid for 14 days but a Covid test will not be required. Pictured: the barrier at the NSW-Queensland border at Tweed Heads-Coolangatta.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath and acting chief health officer Peter Aitken both warned that Covid cases in the state will increase as the borders re-open. 

Ms D’Ath warned people to be aware they should check into venues, monitor for any symptoms and maintain social distancing. 

She said Queensland residents would now be able to do day and overnight trips to the NSW border zone without needing a PCR test on return as a result of the easing of restrictions. 

She said the requirement of a second Covid test after five days in Queensland was required because there had been 46 positive cases enter the state since border restrictions were eased when 70 per cent of Queenslanders were fully vaccinated.   

‘We will have cases, that’s inevitable,’ said Dr Aitken. 

Visitors who have been in a declared Covid hotpot within 14 days of arriving in Queensland will also need to produce a negative Covid-19 test taken within the 72 hours before arrival into the state

‘As cases come into our community, it’s likely we will have to think about wearing masks again, it’s likely that people will need to be in quarantine, it’s likely that some of family members will get sick.’ 

Queensland Police Commissioner Katerina Carroll said motorists should expect lengthy delays at the border.

She urged people to travel outside of peak hours and clearly display border passes on their dashboards. 

‘Police will be meeting you at the borders, particularly at the road borders. Police will be conducting anywhere between random to 100 per cent compliance checks,’ she said.

Vehicles will also be scanned on entry to the state, the commissioner warned, and heavy fines for non-compliance with border requirements would be imposed.  

The entry requirements are expected to last until Queensland reaches 90 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated