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With Queensland health authorities expecting the 80 per cent double-shot vaccination target to be reached this week, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced an earlier border reopening for next Monday.
"I'm very conscious that we want to give people certainty - we want to give families certainty and business certainty, but also too, it's a big administrative function now that government has to do, police need time to set up, and we just want to make sure everything is in order," the Premier said this afternoon.
"To provide everyone with that certainty I can advise that we will be bringing forward the opening date of our borders from December 17 to 1am, Monday, December 13."
This includes a reopening to the hotspots of NSW, VIC and ACT.
"Fully vaccinated travellers from interstate hotspots can arrive by road or air," she said, although there are expectations for delays at the border.
"You must have a negative COVID test in the previous 72 hours, so please, you've got this date now so you can go and start organising that test, and no quarantine is required if you are fully vaccinated.
"If you are not fully vaccinated you must arrive by air only, and hotel quarantine for 14 days."
The Queensland Government has also changed its definition of what constitutes 'fully vaccinated', from the previous limit of at least two weeks since the second shot, to one week as per the national guidelines.
All arrivals from domestic hotspots must also get a second COVID test on day five when they get to Queensland.
The Premier acknowledged how tough the restrictions have been on border communities, whose residents she said would be able to move across the border freely as of next Monday provided they have a border pass which needs to be renewed every 14 days.
Updated at 3:19pm AEDT on 6 December 2021.
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