Visit Noosa sent a message to its members today that must have been distressing and tough to accept and even read, saying that Adelaide had declared a COVID-19 hotspot, adding “What this means for tourism operators”.
With Noosa and elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast having just begun recovering from the lockdowns and closed borders, flights from Adelaide to Sunshine Coast Airport had been seen as lifeline to many operators on the Sunshine Coast, with Greater Sydney and Victoria still locked out of Queensland and no flights from Sydney or Melbourne due to their hot spots and lockdowns.
The message to the Noosa tourism industry also says, “…effective from 11.59pm AEST, today Monday 16 November 2020, anyone arriving from Adelaide today, or who is now in Queensland and has been in Adelaide at any time since Monday 9 November 2020, should immediately get tested, even if they have no symptoms.”
It adds, “These visitors (or returning Queensland residents) should stay isolated at home or in a hotel until 23 November 2020 (14 days since Monday 9 November 2020).”
It is not clear and unfortunately, Visit Noosa nor Visit Sunshine Coast were available for comment, if the above means that if the visitors were planning on returning to Adelaide before November 23, whether they can still do so or if they have to stay in Noosa until November 23.
In addition it says, “Visitors from Adelaide arriving to Queensland after 11.59pm AEST this evening [Monday] will not be allowed entry, unless they are a Queensland resident, in which case they will be permitted entry and required to enter mandatory hotel quarantine at their own expense”.
The message then says, “What you need to do”, adding for operators, “If you have guests staying or travelling with you who have been in Adelaide any time since Monday 9 November 2020, you should urge them to be tested and isolate immediately”, adding, “You are able to refuse service and you should ensure this is advised through your booking process”, then providing a number of locations to be tested.
It is anticipated that while provided for Noosa operators, this would apply to all Queensland tourism operators.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
