Requirements for International Arrivals Direction

Understanding this Direction

Information to help you understand what this Direction means for people arriving in Queensland from overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Summary

Effective from: 6.15pm AEST 28 April 2022

Posted: 28 April 2022

Direction from Chief Health Officer in accordance with emergency powers arising from the declared public health emergency

Requirements for International Arrivals Direction

Public Health Act 2005 (Qld)

Section 362B

On 29 January 2020, under the Public Health Act 2005, the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services made an order declaring a public health emergency in relation to coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The public health emergency area specified in the order is for ‘all of Queensland’. Its duration has been extended by regulation to 24 June 2022 and may be further extended.

Further to this declaration, l, Dr John Gerrard, Chief Health Officer, reasonably believe it is necessary to give the following direction pursuant to the powers under s 362B of the Public Health Act 2005 to assist in containing, or to respond to, the spread of COVID-19 within the community.

Guidance

A person entering Queensland under this Direction must comply with any relevant requirements of other Public Health Directions while the person is in Queensland.

Separately from the requirements under Public Health Directions, under sections 362G and 362H of the Public Health Act 2005, a person may be given a direction by an emergency officer (public health) to stay at or in a particular place for up to 14 days if the emergency officer believes it is reasonably necessary to assist in containing, or to respond to, the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

Nothing in this Direction obviates or overrides the Australian Government’s requirements and restrictions for entry to Australia.

Preamble

  1. This Public Health Direction is to be read in conjunction with other Public Health Directions issued under section 362B of the Public Health Act 2005 that have not expired or been revoked.

Citation

  1. This Public Health Direction may be referred to as the Requirements for International Arrivals Direction.

Revocation

  1. This Public Health direction revokes and replaces the Quarantine for International Arrivals Direction (No. 22) made on 1 March 2022 and revokes the Protocol for maritime crew members joining or signing off a vessel in Queensland made on 22 January 2022, from the time of publication of this direction.

Commencement

  1. This Public Health Direction applies from 6pm AEST 28 April 2022 until the end of the declared public health emergency, unless revoked or amended.

PART 1 – DIRECTION – REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS

  1. This Direction applies to a person who arrives in Queensland and who has been in a place outside Australia in the 7 days immediately before their arrival.

  2. An international arrival is required to undertake a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival to Queensland and quarantine at their residence, accommodation, including on a cruise ship, or boat until a negative result is received.

    Note: accommodation may include a hotel or motel room, cabin, holiday rental, or cabin on a cruise liner, or government nominated accommodation. Until a negative test result is received, an international arrival must stay away from others.

  1. An international arrival must travel as directly as practicable to the residence, accommodation or boat using a private vehicle, hire car, taxi, endorsed transport provider or ride share and must not use public transport until a negative COVID-19 test result is received.

    Note: an international arrival who receives a negative test result is not required to quarantine or remain in quarantine, but a person who receives a positive COVID-19 test result becomes a confirmed case of COVID-19 and must isolate as per the Isolation for Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Management of Close Contacts Direction (No.7), or its successors.

    Note: The Australian Government may have eligibility requirements to enter Australia. Further information on the Australian Government’s requirements is available at: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/vaccinated-travellers

  2. Despite paragraph 6, an international arrival who undertook a COVID-19 test in another State or Territory within 24 hours of arrival in Australia and received a negative test result, does not have to undertake a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival in Queensland.

  3. Despite paragraph 6, an international arrival who enters Queensland from a place outside Australia, and transfers from an international terminal to a domestic terminal, which is within the confines of the airport, or as per the requirements set out in paragraph 12 for the purpose of domestic on-travel to another state or territory, is not required to undertake a COVID-19 test in Queensland but must comply with entry testing requirements in the state or territory to which they travel.

  4. Despite paragraph 6, an international arrival is not required to undertake a COVID-19 test if the person is able to provide, if requested, written evidence, in English, of having recovered from COVID-19 within the 12 weeks immediately prior to the scheduled flight, and the international arrival does not have symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

  5. An international arrival who enters Queensland from a place outside of Australia, and transfers from the international terminal to the domestic terminal, which is within the confines of the airport, for the purposes of on-ward travel within Queensland is required to undertake a COVID-19 test in accordance with paragraph 6 on arrival at their final destination.

    Example: An international arrival, who arrives from Singapore on a direct flight to Brisbane and transfers directly (without leaving the confines of the airport) to an intrastate flight to Townsville, will be required to undertake a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arriving in Townsville.

  6. An international arrival must transfer from an international terminal to a domestic terminal, which is within the confines of the airport, by endorsed transport provider, taxi, ride share or an airport terminal transfer shuttle bus for the purposes of on-travel within Queensland or another state or territory.

PART 2 – RESTRICTIONS ON ENTRY TO VULNERABLE OR HIGH-RISK SETTINGS

Workers at a vulnerable or high-risk setting

  1. Subject to paragraph 14, an international arrival, who enters Queensland from a place outside of Australia is not permitted to enter a vulnerable or high-risk setting during the 7 days after arriving in Queensland, unless the person:

    1. is a worker in a vulnerable or high-risk setting; and

    2. complies with the vaccination requirements for a worker at the vulnerable or high-risk setting; and

    3. has no symptoms consistent with COVID-19; and

    4. undertakes a COVID-19 test and receives a negative test result before commencing duties and every second day thereafter until 7 days have passed from arrival into Queensland; and

    5. the worker uses personal protective equipment as required by the responsible person for the vulnerable or high-risk setting until 7 days have passed from arrival into Queensland; and

    6. the responsible person agrees to the worker returning to the vulnerable or high-risk setting, and to the extent of any inconsistency with another public health direction, this provision prevails to allow the worker to enter the vulnerable or high risk setting for the performance of their official duties.

  2. Note: If a worker commences duties on day 4 of 7 of the period, the worker is only required to continue to undertake a COVID-19 test until day 7.

    Note: A worker is not required to advise the responsible person for the vulnerable or high-risk setting of a negative COVID-19 test result but if they become a diagnosed case must advise the responsible person that they are isolating. A diagnosed case who is an international arrival is not permitted to enter a vulnerable or high risk setting as a worker under this public health direction and, like an international arrival who is a close contact, must comply with the requirements of the Isolation of Diagnosed Cases and Management of Close Contacts Direction (No. 7), or its successors.

    Note: A worker includes an officer of the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Service or Queensland Ambulance Service who enters a vulnerable or high risk setting in the performance of official duties.

    Note: the responsible person may agree to the return of a worker on an individual basis or may provide approval for a class of workers (such as police or ambulance officers) who may enter if they are international arrivals, with PPE requirements set out in a policy or guideline provided to QPS or QAS to communicate to QPS and QAS officers.

Visitors to a vulnerable or high-risk setting

  1. Despite paragraph 13, an international arrival may enter and remain at a vulnerable or high risk setting as a visitor for an exceptional and compassionate circumstance, where the responsible person for the setting agrees and the international arrival:

    1. has undertaken a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival in Queensland and received a negative test result; and

    2. where the visit occurs more than 24 hours after arrival in Queensland, has undertaken a further COVID-19 test within 24 hours prior to visiting the vulnerable or high-risk setting; and

    3. does not have symptoms consistent with COVID-19; and

    4. wears a surgical mask and complies with any additional PPE requirements of the responsible person; and

    5. complies with any additional reasonable requirements of the responsible person, including only entering parts of the vulnerable or high-risk setting specified by the responsible person and following visitor guidelines.

  2. An exceptional and compassionate circumstance includes :

    1. an end of life visit; or

    2. visiting a patient, client or resident who is seriously or critically ill; or

    3. attending a birthing suite as the support person for the birth mother; or

    4. a parent visiting their infant that is an inpatient in a special care unit or neonatal intensive care unit; or

    5. attending as a support person for a dependent requiring critical medical treatment; or

    6. an emergency.

  3. The responsible person must take all reasonable steps to ensure an international arrival entering a vulnerable or high risk setting under paragraph 14 complies with the conditions of entry to the setting and does not enter or remain within the setting if the person is prohibited from doing so under this Direction.

PART 3 – INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS

  1. An emergency officer (public health) may require any person subject to this Direction to answer questions or provide evidence about:

    1. whether the person has symptoms consistent with COVID-19; and

    2. whether they have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 7 days; and

    3. their name; and

    4. their date of birth; and

    5. their mobile phone number while in Australia; and

    6. their intended address while in Australia; and

    7. their email address; and

    8. the time and date the person departed the international port; and

    9. their flight number; and

    10. their flight seat number; and

    11. the places the person has been in the 7 days before arriving in Queensland.

  2. A person must not refuse or fail to answer a question or give an answer that is false or misleading in providing information in connection with this Direction.

PART 4 – EXEMPTIONS

  1. The Chief Health Officer, the Deputy Chief Health Officer or their delegate may grant a person an exemption from all or part of these directions on the basis of extreme exceptional circumstances.

  2. An exemption may be given on conditions and if so, the person given the exemption must comply with the conditions.

PART 5 – OTHER MATTERS

Transitional Arrangements

  1. A person who was subject to quarantine under the Quarantine for International Arrivals Direction (No. 22) is now subject to the requirements of this Direction and may end quarantine on the commencement of this Direction.

PART 6 – DEFINITIONS

  1. Definitions used in this Direction are in Schedule 1.

PART 7 – PENALTIES

A person to whom the direction applies commits an offence if the person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with the direction.

Section 362D of the Public Health Act 2005 provides:

Failure to comply with public health directions

  • A person to whom a public health direction applies must comply with the direction unless the person has a reasonable excuse.

  • Maximum penalty—100 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment.

Dr John Gerrard
Chief Health Officer

28 April 2022

Published on the Queensland Health website at 6.15pm AEST 28 April 2022

SCHEDULE 1 – DEFINITIONS

Australia means the Commonwealth of Australia and includes the external territories of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands and Heard and McDonald Islands but excludes the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Boat means any sea craft that is not a vessel or a cruise ship that arrives in Queensland from outside Queensland waters.

Note: ‘Boat’ includes Australian Defence Force, or other international defence force sea craft.

Confines of the airport means the terminal or terminals of an airport used for the arrival and departure of aircraft and passengers by air, or the area of an airport that the person uses to transfer directly between terminals.

Example: a person did not leave the confines of the airport if they stay in a passenger terminal until their next flight or transferred directly between terminals to depart on their flight. However, a person leaves the confines of the airport if they go to a hotel in the airport precinct and stay overnight.

Corrective services facility means a facility listed in Schedule 4 of the Corrective Services Act 2006, specifically:

  1. a prison

  2. a community corrections centre

  3. a work camp

  4. a temporary corrective services facility declared under section 268(2)

COVID-19 PCR test means for a person who is:

  1. 12 months of age or over, an oropharyngeal and deep nasal swab for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to detect whether a person has the COVID-19 virus; or

  2. under 12 months of age, a saliva swab for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to detect whether a person has the COVID-19 virus.

Note: A COVID-19 PCR test does not include a self-test.

COVID-19 RAT means a Rapid Antigen Test approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to detect whether the person has the COVID-19 virus.

COVID-19 test means tested for COVID-19 either with a COVID-19 PCR test or with a Rapid Antigen Test, or for a child under two years of age means a COVID-19 PCR test or a Rapid Antigen Test administered by a health professional.

Note: Where a Rapid Antigen Test is required under this Direction, a COVID-19 PCR test is also acceptable.

Note: Home Rapid Antigen Testing is not recommended for children under two years of age; they can only be tested using a COVID-19 PCR test or a RAT administered by a health professional. A Rapid Antigen Test may be used for children over the age of two.

COVID-19 vaccine means a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Australia or recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Example: COVID-19 vaccine approved or recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration at the time of publishing include:

TGA APPROVED VACCINESTGA RECOGNISED VACCINES
Comirnaty (Pfizer)Coronavac (Sinovac)
Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)Covishield (AstraZeneca - Serum Institute of India)
Spikevax or Takeda (Moderna)BBIBP-CorV for people under 60 years of age on arrival in Australia (Sinopharm, China)
COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Janssen)Covaxin (Bharat Biotech, India)
Nuvaxovid (Biocelect on behalf of Novavax)Sputnik V (Gamaleya Research Institute)

Eligible health professional means any of the following:

  • a fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (as defined by the Health Insurance Act 1973 Cth); or

  • a fellow of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (as defined by the Health Insurance Act 1973 Cth); or

  • a person on Medicare’s Vocation Register of General Practitioners (as defined by the Health Insurance Act 1973 Cth); or

  • a practice registrar on an approved 3GA training placement; or

  • a paediatrician; or

  • a public health physician; or

  • an infectious diseases physician; or

  • a clinical immunologist.

Emergency officer (public health) means an emergency officer appointed under the Public Health Act 2005.

Note: Emergency officers appointed under the Public Health Act 2005 includes environmental health officers and police.

Endorsed transport provider means a person, business or entity that provides a transport service to a person who is required to isolate or quarantine and is endorsed by a government authority and has a Transport Plan in the form approved by the Chief Health Officer.

Note: Information about endorsed transport providers and Transport Plans is available here: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/covid-19-testing-for-quarantine-facility-workers/endorsed-transport-providers.

Evidence of vaccination means an Australian International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate or if vaccinated in another country a certificate that meets the following criteria:

  1. issued by a national or state/provincial-level authority or an accredited vaccination provider; and

  2. written in English or accompanied by a certified translation; and

  3. containing the following information:

    1. name as it appears in the international arrivals passport; and

    2. date of birth or passport number or national identity number; and

    3. the vaccine brand name; and

    4. the date of each dose or the date on which the international arrival received the final dose.

      Note: A paper-based or digital certificate that contains the required information may be used.

Evidence of a recognised medical contraindication means there is a COVID-19 vaccine medical exemption recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register for the person, or an eligible health professional has completed an Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) immunisation medical exemptions form for the COVID-19 vaccine for the person, or, for a person who is an international arrival, a registered medical practitioner has completed a medical certificate certifying the evidence of medical contraindication accepted by the Australian Government.

Government-nominated accommodation means a hotel, purpose built or other facility, or other accommodation premises, which may comprise a single building or multiple buildings including designated zones and non-designated zones, at which a quarantined person or an isolating person resides under arrangements with the Queensland Government while completing mandatory isolation or quarantine

Government nominated accommodation has the same meaning as in the Requirements for Workers at Government Nominated Accommodation Direction.

International arrival means a person who arrives in Queensland by sea or on a flight who, in the 7 days immediately before their arrival to Queensland has been in a place outside Australia or arrived in Australia by sea or by air.

Isolate or Isolating or isolation has the same meaning as under the Isolation for Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Management of Close Contacts Direction (No.7) or its successor.

Nominated premises means a person’s allocated room within government-nominated accommodation as directed by an emergency officer (public health)

Quarantined person means an individual who has been directed to quarantine by an emergency officer (public health) under section 362H of the Public Health Act 2005

Residential aged care facility means a facility at which accommodation, and personal care or nursing care or both, are provided to a person in respect of whom a residential care subsidy or a flexible care subsidy is payable under the Aged Care Act 1997 of the Commonwealth.

Responsible person for a vulnerable or high-risk setting means the person legally responsible for employing or engaging workers in a vulnerable or high-risk setting and for facilitating their access to the vulnerable or high-risk setting. The responsible person includes a licensee, operator or chief executive, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider or their delegate in a healthcare setting, and does not include a support co-ordinator, NDIS plan manager, or a self-managing NDIS participant, where the self-managing NDIS participant does not directly employ a worker in healthcare.

Shared disability accommodation service means a service, including the forensic disability service under the Forensic Disability Act 2011, where:

  1. four or more people with disability reside with people who are not members of their family; and

  2. the residents share enclosed common living areas within the facility whether inside or outside, and

  3. the residents are provided with disability supports within the facility.

Surgical mask means a single use surgical mask with a minimum level 2 barrier protection level under the Australian Standard (AS 4381:2015) that covers the nose and mouth.

Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 means fever or history of fever, symptoms of acute respiratory infection (cough, shortness of breath, sore throat), loss of smell, headache, loss of taste, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or fatigue.

Vessel means a commercial vessel, research vessel or government vessel that is in Australian waters and is 50 metres or more in length. It does not include cruise ships, or boats.

Volunteer means a person engaged by a vulnerable or high risk setting to provide products or services on a voluntary basis but does not include a volunteer engaged by an independent organisation.

Vulnerable or high-risk setting means any of the following:

  1. a hospital; or

  2. a residential aged care facility;

  3. a shared disability accommodation service; or

  4. a corrective services facility.

Worker means:

  1. a person employed or engaged, including as a contractor, to perform work or provide services and includes a student who, in connection with an enrolled course of study, is undertaking a placement under the supervision of an employee or contractor at the setting, and a volunteer engaged by the setting; or

  2. a person who is an officer of the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Service or Queensland Ambulance Service, who enters a vulnerable or high risk setting in the performance of their official duties.

Endorsed transport providers

See information and requirements for endorsed transport providers.

COVID Safe Plan for transporting quarantined persons

This COVID Safe Plan for transporting quarantined persons contains the minimum standards of practice that must be met by transport providers when offering a service to quarantined persons. Transport providers are required to use this template to develop a Transport Plan in the form approved by the Chief Health Officer.

Requests for Exemptions

If you are seeking exemption from a Public Health Direction, you can submit your request online

Last updated: 30 June 2022