Queensland Border Closes: Returnees Must Front Hotel Quarantine Costs

Barricades on Dixon Street in Coolangatta, Australia on July 22, 2020. Matt Roberts/Getty Images

BRISBANE—Queensland residents trying to come home from New South Wales, Victoria or the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) must now arrive by air and pay at least $2,800 (US$1,984) for their two-week stay in hotel quarantine.

The tough new rules follow Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision to close off the border to guard against community transmission of coronavirus.