Gold Coast businesses are getting ready for a huge influx of interstate tourists who are set to visit the region when the borders reopen in a few weeks’ time.

On Friday 19^th November 2021, fully vaccinated people from interstate hotspots will be allowed to enter the state by air if they have a negative covid-19 test, but they will still be required to undertake home quarantine for 14 days. 

The next phase will kick in on Friday 17^th December, when 80 percent of Queensland residents are projected to have reached the double vaccine milestone. When this occurs domestic travellers from hotspots who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to quarantine.

Martin Hall The president of the Gold Coast Central Chamber Of Commerce said that following the Queensland Governments announcement of their roadmap for re-opening Gold Coast businesses can now plan with certainty.

“A smile from ear to ear is the only way to describe it. Long-awaited and very, very welcome. It’s the horizon we’ve been talking about since the get-go,” said Martin Hall The president of the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Hall said 17^th December was a crucial date for businesses with interstate travelers allowed into Queensland with greatly reduced restrictions and quarantine.

“We’ve got a lot of people sat at home watching Netflix. That’s really the big focus for us because all of our businesses have to ramp up roster lines, stock. We need to get those people back in the workplace and refresher trained and ready for that date,” said Martin Hall The president of the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce.

Martin Hall said he was concerned that there could be a responsibility on business owners to turn customers away based on their vaccination status.

“That’s not something that we’re wildly excited about. Wherever there’s some sort of checking-in or restriction, that’s going to cause some hostility. The last thing we want is to be turning people away because they are not vaccinated, that’s understandable, but then having any aggression,” said Martin Hall.

Mr Hall said the Gold Coast City Council also needed to do more to facilitate the booking of major events across the region.

“It’s great that people can travel and come to the theme parks. We need these delayed Guns and Roses concerts and more to hopefully start getting booked in again,” Martin Hall The president of the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce.

Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon said the reopening dates should be a huge incentive for residents who had not yet received the covid-19 vaccine to make a booking to get the jab.  

“Those dates are set in stone but we are very hopeful that we will reach those targets, or actually reach them earlier. My big message to particularly Gold Coasters is if we can get our vaccination rates even higher we can bring some of these dates forward,” said Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon.

Despite the announcement, Meaghan Scanlon said there was no set date on the removal of the border checkpoints.

“We need to make sure that particularly when we’re getting to 70 and 80 percent that we are making sure that people are still complying. We then need to determine who has been vaccinated versus who hasn’t because there are different rules that will apply,” said Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon.