COVID-19 update 360 | 21/02/2022
- International travel
- Returning to work after international travel
Today there were 4114 reported new COVID cases in Queensland.
Metro North remains on Tier 3 of our COVID response plan. This is reviewed weekly in line with the current level of COVID activity.
International travel
Australia has opened international borders today after almost two years, with vaccinated travellers able to enter without quarantine (Quarantine for international arrivals direction no. 21).
Fully vaccinated travellers entering Queensland must get a COVID-19 test (PCR test or RAT) within 24 hours of arrival in Queensland and quarantine at their residence, accommodation, or boat until they receive a negative result.
International arrivals who were tested for COVID-19 in another State or Territory within 24 hours of arrival in Australia and received a negative test result do not have to get tested within 24 hours of arrival in Queensland nor quarantine.
Unvaccinated travellers are still required to complete 14 days quarantine in government accommodation.
Returning to work after international travel
Under Hospital Entry Direction (No.11) people returning from overseas cannot enter a hospital or healthcare facility in the first 14 days unless they have an exemption. This includes healthcare staff.
To apply for an exemption, please follow these steps:
- Submit your exemption request via the Queensland Government exemptions
- Choose the ‘General exemption from a health direction’ option (do not choose ‘specialist/essential worker’)
- Email the details of your request and your application reference number (RITM) to your directorate EOC, including your proposed return to work date. This will be provided to Metro North EOC.
- Metro North EOC will liaise with Health Directions and communicate the application outcome as soon as it is known.
Information about fit testing and staff testing locations is available on the COVID extranet. The locations of vaccination clinics and pop up sites is available online.
Louise O’Riordan will be back in the Incident Controller seat tomorrow.
Kind regards,
Mark Butterworth
Metro North Health Incident Controller
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Current Metro North Health tier activated – Tier 3
Helpful links
- Register your positive RAT result
- Upload evidence of your vaccine
- Qld Health contact tracing list
- Register for your vaccine
- Qld Health general COVID-19 page
- Metro North COVID-19 extranet
- COVID vidcast recordings on QHEPS
Metro North HHS – overview of cases*
| Patients managed by HHS | Fever clinics | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Deaths** | No. of clinics | Presentations | |||
| Total | ICU patients | Yesterday | |||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 53 | 5 | 2 | 284 | 37 | 5 | 283 | |
Norfolk Island – overview of cases***
| Patients managed by HHS | Close Contacts in quarantine | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Total cases including recovered | Deaths | ||||
| Total | ICU patients | ||||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 105 | 0 | 1 | |
*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** As part of an Intergovernmental Agreement, from 1 January 2022 Metro North Health is providing a number of health support services to Norfolk Island. This includes advice and support to staff on island in terms of managing COVID patients. The numbers in this section of the table refer to COVID patients who remain on Norfolk Island and are receiving direct care by staff on Norfolk Island.