December 13, 2021 | By Bronwen Largier
Queensland’s state border opened at 1am this morning for quarantine-free travel for the fully vaccinated from all Australian states and territories for the first time since the state closed its border to NSW in July.
Fully vaccinated arrivals from hotspot areas are required to have a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arriving in Queensland and take a second test on day five after entering the state, but no quarantine is required.
Those entering from areas not declared hotspots are not required to undergo testing before or after entering the state.
The border reopening is good news for the resumption of multi-state business events, although full national business events are unlikely until late January or early February 2021, when Western Australia is expected to be last state to reopen its domestic border. An announcement on the exact date is expected this week.
Over the weekend, the Queensland Government also flagged changes in self-isolation requirements for fully vaccinated close contacts of COVID-19 cases which will take effect from January 1.
Following similar moves in other states, from the new year, vaccinated close contacts will only be required to self-isolate for seven days following exposure, but will be subject to some restrictions for the subsequent week, including mask wearing and avoiding high risk settings.
In celebration of Queensland’s interstate border reopening, the Sunshine Coast is throwing a welcome back party on Friday which also serves to showcase its craft beer chops – or hops – with all 21 of the region’s craft beer breweries welcoming visitors for the event.
“We wanted to do something that made people smile, and the welcome back party is about having some fun,” said Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel.
“With 21 craft breweries across our region the Sunshine Coast is home to the largest number of breweries per capita in the country, making us Australia’s Craft Beer Capital.
“Behind every one of our brewers is a story with many focused on sustainability and celebrating our region’s local produce, and that’s something we want to share with visitors,” he said.