By Juliano Oliveira
Visitors from all of New South Wales will be allowed to enter Queensland without mandatory hotel quarantine from Monday, 1 February.
“Now that the Chief Health Officer has recommended it’s safe for Greater Sydney residents to come to Queensland, the borders can come down,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
It has been 11 consecutive days without locally acquired cases in New South Wales. Queensland has one new case of coronavirus today detected in hotel quarantine.
“We understand how tough border measures have been, but it’s all about keeping Queenslanders safe,” the PM said.
“I want to encourage anyone in New South Wales who is thinking about having a holiday, come up to Queensland.”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said New South Wales health authorities had successfully linked its COVID cases, prompting Queensland Chief Health Officer to advise that it was safe to re-open the border.
“This border re-opening is welcome news to the eight million Greater Sydney residents who can now visit Queensland.”
“With more infectious variants of COVID now emerging, we always have to act on the health advice, and that’s what we’re continuing to do.”
Yesterday, according to the Brisbane Times, the first five Queensland cities to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine were named.
Health workers in Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine coasts, and the North Queensland cities of Cairns and Townsville will be vaccinated first.
Hospital workers, quarantine and border staff and those working and living in aged care and disability accommodation will be vaccinated within the next few weeks.