REDLANDS will be part of a state home quarantine trial which will see 1000 people cross the border from next week without being ushered into hotels, marking a milestone in COVID recovery.
But bay island and Straddie residents are set to miss out, with Health Minister Yvette D'Ath announcing that only people from areas within two hours of Brisbane Airport would be allowed into the state under strict trial conditions.
It is also understood people must drive home without stopping, ruling out barge and ferry transport to the islands.
Queensland Health could not confirm how many Redlands residents would return to the state as part of the first intake.
Other eligibility rules apply, with anyone wanting to enter Queensland needing to have received both COVID jabs and test negative within 72 hours of arrival.
They will also need to have arrived by air, use a home check-in app and get tested three times during their 14 day quarantine period.
Redland is one of only eight local government areas to be included in the trial, with Logan, Brisbane and Gold Coast among the others taking part.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the trial had been restricted to locations with higher vaccination rates and where hospitals had a track record of dealing with COVID cases.
It comes as Redlands passes a vaccine milestone, with more than 50 per cent of the population having now received both jabs.
Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson said the trial was a win for common sense and called for home quarantine to be rolled out across the state as quickly as possible if the trial was successful.
"We know that thousands of residents have been locked out of the state for far too long, including individuals and families from Redland city," he said.
"We are all Queenslanders and I hope soon we will all be able to come safely home no matter where we live in our great state."
Ms Young hoped to see home quarantine become more widespread by December, but said it was important the government did not get ahead of itself.
"I would strongly recommend that anyone who would like to be part of the process going forward go and get vaccinated, because you need to have had two doses of vaccine plus an extra two weeks," she said.
"As we gradually do look at this, if it is successful, that will be the criteria that will delay you if you don't do it."
Ms D'Ath said only those who had applied to return to Queensland would be considered for the trial.
"It doesn't apply to someone who jumps on a plane today and goes down south," she said. "These are people who are already stuck in NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
RMIT University senior criminology and justice lecturer Marietta Martinovic said the success of the program would rely on technology and trust.
"Even if the technical aspects work well, which is likely, two crucial aspects of home quarantine cannot be monitored," she said.
"(That includes) other household members taking all necessary steps to separate from the returned traveller, and that no one else is visiting the household."
Other areas to take part in the trial include Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Ipswich.
Redlands has fared well during the COVID crisis, with just 33 cases recorded since the pandemic took hold last March.
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