Australia’s Queensland state to open to vaccinated travellers

Canberra - The borders are expected to open later this year when the state achieves its target vaccination rates

Australia’s Queensland state announced plans on Monday to open up to vaccinated travellers, ending the status it has enjoyed throughout the pandemic of remaining virtually free of Covid-19.

Queensland and Western Australia have been among the states most successful in keeping Covid-19 out, and they also were among the most reluctant to relax their strict border controls after the highly contagious delta variant took hold in New South Wales state in June and spread through Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

Queensland authorities warned infection rates would rise and remain high for months.

“For almost 600 days for nearly two years we have kept the virus out of Queensland,” Treasurer Cameron Dick said. “Those days will soon come to an end. This will be the end of the zero Covid for Queensland.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said fully vaccinated travellers would be allowed into the state without quarantining when 80 per cent of the state’s population aged 16 and older was vaccinated. That benchmark is expected to be achieved by December 17.