Police Reminder About Border Rules

September 11, 2020

Police have reminded Queenslanders planning on travelling interstate about the border restrictions in place for returning travellers.

Since August 8, the Queensland border has been closed to anyone who has been in a declared COVID-19 hotspot (Victoria, NSW and ACT) during the previous 14 days unless they receive an exemption.

Residents living in declared border zones, “the bubble”, can apply for a Queensland border declaration “X” pass but will only be permitted to travel within the border zone in Queensland and NSW.

Motorists with “G” passes are not allowed to enter Queensland via the roadway and will need to travel into Queensland via air or reapply for one of the other passes if they meet the criteria.

Gold Coast District Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said officers were still seeing motorists trying to cross the Gold Coast/Tweed border checkpoints with invalid border passes.

“With September school holidays coming up and sporting competitions such as the upcoming 2020 Tweed Coast Pro this weekend, it is important people fully understand the restrictions before leaving Queensland,” Chief Superintendent Wheeler said.

“Anyone planning on crossing the border to NSW must understand they will not be able to re-enter Queensland by road unless they are able to obtain a valid Queensland border declaration pass.

“Queenslanders trying to return to home from NSW without a valid pass will be required to fly into Queensland and quarantine for 14 days in government arranged accommodation at their own expense.”

The current Queensland Border Declaration Passes consist of the following categories:

X PASS: Border zone resident, issued to persons living in a border zone who are not required to quarantine.

S PASS: Specialist, issued to exempt persons who have been to a COVID-19 declared hotspot and are not required to quarantine.

F PASS: Freight, issued to freight, logistics and transport workers who are not required to quarantine.

Q PASS: Quarantine Direction, issued to a person who is allowed to enter Queensland but must quarantine.

External link: Border restrictions

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A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed a recent class exemption does allow boarding school students to quarantine on their parents’ remote properties and return to school. Students will not be able to leave those properties.

Students returning to Queensland will have to undertake a COVID-19 test.

The class exemption includes:

Boarding school students and their parents/guardians who live on properties in ACT and NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs) with no active cases of COVID-19 and who are re-entering Queensland by road will not be required to undertake quarantine upon re-entry into Queensland, if they remained on their property.

Students and any accompanying adult travelling by road from a rural or remote property must travel directly from home to the school.

The exemption will be subject to undertaking COVID-19 testing upon their arrival in Queensland.

Students travelling by air from built-up areas and from anywhere in Victoria are still required to quarantine on arrival in Queensland, either at their boarding school if there is enough space for them to be isolated from other students or in hotel quarantine with a parent or guardian.