COVID-19 hotspots

Hotspots are places in Australia where health officials have found a lot of people with COVID-19, or places that are at risk of a lot of COVID-19 infections. Hotspots are legally listed so that people travelling from those high-risk areas into Queensland can be identified.

From 10 July 2020, people who have been in a hotspot in the last 14 days will only be able to enter Queensland if they are a returning Queensland resident or required to enter for a limited range of essential reasons. Queensland residents returning to Queensland from a hotspot must quarantine for 14 days on entering Queensland. This will help reduce the chance that they might infect other people.

Details of who is exempt from mandatory quarantine, even if they have been to a hotspot, can be found on the Border Restrictions page.

Declared hotspots

l, Dr Jeannette Young, Chief Health Officer, reasonably believe it is necessary to publish the following list of COVID-19 hotspots pursuant to the powers under s362B of the Public Health Act 2005 to assist in containing, or to respond to, the spread of COVID-19 within the community.

The direction applies from 1.00 am on Friday 25 September 2020 until the end of the declared public health emergency, unless it is revoked or replaced. The purpose of this direction is to:

• identify COVID-19 hotspots for Public Health Direction – Border Restrictions Direction (No. 13) or its successor
• identify COVID-19 hotspots for other public health directions about the movement of people to or from COVID-19 hotspots
• remove the Australian Capital Territory as a declared COVID‑19 hotspot.

This restriction means people who have been in a COVID-19 hotspot within the last 14 days will be turned away at our border, subject to limited exceptions as set out in Border Restrictions Direction No. 11

From 1.00 am on Friday 25 September 2020, the Australian Capital Territory – Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4) will be removed as a declared COVID-19 hotspot. The State of New South Wales, including all Local Government Areas (LGAs) and unincorporated areas; and the State of Victoria, including all LGAs and unincorporated areas will remain declared COVID-19 hotspots.

A full list of current declared COVID-19 hotspots is provided below:

Border Restrictions Direction (No. 13), and its successors set out the conditions that persons must comply with when arriving in Queensland from a place outside of Queensland.

Previous declarations of COVID-19 hotspots are detailed below: