‘Heartbroken’ travellers locked out of Queensland for Christmas due to Covid testing delays
Heartbroken families are being forced to cancel Christmas and holiday plans as Queensland Covid testing requirements leave them locked out or turned away.
Almost 260,000 Australians have crossed the border into Queensland since Monday but many more have been turned away and sent home or forced to cancel family reunions and expensive holiday bookings because of testing delays.
To enter Queensland, travellers are required to return a negative Covid test 72 hours before arrival, leaving thousands scrambling to get a test before travelling and placing extraordinary pressure on health systems in the lead-up to Christmas.
The scramble for tests has led to delays in results being issued.
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, stood by the border restrictions, but said on Wednesday she was considering allowing rapid antigen tests for interstate travellers from 1 January.
“I have had a good talk with the NSW premier [about] rapid antigen tests. We will look at whether this is approved, and we may legalise them in the New Year, but between now and the New Year we will require those PCR tests for people coming into a state.
“It was part of our plan, and we want to keep the virus out as much as we possibly can over Christmas and new year.”
There were 151,443 tests processed in New South Wales on Tuesday, the highest tally of swabs collected in more than four months, as the Christmas travel rush slowed the system.
Palaszczuk told reporters that 10% of those tests were for people making their way to Queensland, but NSW Health has not commented or confirmed that figure.
The Queensland deputy premier, Steven Miles, said on Tuesday there would not be an extension of the 72hour test window. He said he was aware of the long wait times to even get the test interstate.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said at a later press conference 25% of people trying to get tested were doing so to travel interstate.
“We have all seen the terrible queues and the long waits people have had,” he said in Canberra on Wednesday afternoon. “Some 25% are not symptomatic … they just want to travel to another state. This is putting unnecessary pressure on the testing system.”
He said national cabinet had discussed the abolition of PCR tests as a prerequisite for travel.
“There was a positive discussion and a panel will give further advice on whether testing is required at all for travel.”
Morrison indicated state governments might look to rapid antigen tests as a means to “make the system a lot more workable”.
At the same press conference, the chief health officer, Paul Kelly, said the requirement for PCR tests before travel was holding up health resources.
“In Victoria it is very difficult to get a test, and if you’re getting a test you are waiting for many hours. So this reliance on testing to travel is interfering with one of our few things we have to decrease the caseload and protect Australians.”
Casey Van Soest, her partner, Luke Van Soest, and daughter Xara Wademan, from Sydney’s south-west, were all stuck at the NSW side of the border on Wednesday after a delay in their test results.
Casey’s mother, Colleen Anne Collier, feared she would not be able to see her family, with their 72-hour window to present their tests about to expire.
“It’s left me feeling frustrated and worried for the kids because they are literally sitting outside in the hot sun waiting for test results to come back. They have two of the three results, but are waiting on the third one.
“They’ve left their accommodation that they stayed in last night, in anticipation that the results would be back by now. The plan was to travel on today over the border but no one has told them when to expect the results back.
“Some people have been at the border waiting five days for their results. They can’t go forwards or backwards, although my daughter is considering turning around now. We haven’t seen her in two years for Christmas and it’s just heartbreaking.”
Collier said her daughter and her family booked accommodation near the border and left Sydney after getting tested on Monday, anticipating they would get the results before crossing.
But with accommodation being snapped up by the many travellers in similar situations, they have had to resort to waiting in their car.
“They’ve already spent so much on this, and planned to get here for Christmas. And they’re particularly wanting to come this year because my father has probably six to nine months left, he’s in kidney failure at the moment and is 90 years old.
“For us, this could be the last Christmas with him, and we want it to happen. If they don’t have a test result by Thursday evening, I think they could turn around.”
Tourism operators reported cancellations due to testing uncertainty.
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive, Daniel Gschwind, said the current testing regime had dampened many operators’ optimistic outlook for the summer. Up to 10% of Cairns bookings have reportedly been cancelled.
“It is absolutely exhausting to face hurdle after hurdle, and just when relief was in sight, to be frustrated by the logistics of this requirement is definitely a concern.
“The situation is obviously not helpful, and is acting as a deterrent. But we are still hoping demand will overwhelm concern at this point.”
Gschwind said he hoped the Queensland government would respond with some “flexibility” to the situation, citing rapid antigen tests or increased testing capacity as potential solutions.
“The logistics of the testing requirements are not working out the way we would hope so that’s absolutely an issue.”
“We are aware that some bookings have been cancelled in some parts of Queensland and hopefully that can be avoided in the future. We are still hopeful and optimistic that Christmas and the next month will deliver a strong boost to the tourism industry in Queensland.”