The Queensland government on Tuesday announced that only critical interstate fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mineworkers will be allowed into Queensland, in an effort to protect remote and regional communities and local mine workforces from the spread of Covid-19.
Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said that Queensland would close its borders from midnight Saturday to interstate FIFO workers unless they were critical to a project’s operations.
“As all resources ministers around the country have said, the resources sector is essential to maintaining a strong Australian economy,” he said.
“It is critical that we move now to prevent people who may have been exposed to the virus bringing it to Queensland. Queensland has no known cases in our remote regional communities, and restricting these workers from entering the state will remove a possible transmission route.