Queensland should be COVID testing new arrivals just before they crossed the border and again one day after entering the state because of the infectiousness of the Omicron variant, a leading infectious diseases expert says.
Key points:
- Mary-Louise McLaws says travellers should be tested just before and a day after crossing the border, not 72 hours in advance
- The scrapping of the five-day test rule yesterday came after testing clinics in tourist hotspots were overwhelmed
- Tourism operators say the removal of the day-five test removes another barrier for visitors
Mary-Louise McLaws was responding to the Queensland government’s snap move on Tuesday to scrap the requirement for a PCR test five days after arriving in the state from a hotspot.
Announcing the changes to the five-day test yesterday, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said he recommended it be scrapped after finding that only 0.6 per cent out of 24,084 tests of interstate visitors were positive for COVID-19.