Thanks for your response, it is completely logical except for the following concerns :
1. We haven't booked flights yet, and although the media release from the Qantas Newsroom on Sunday suggests flexibility with fares, nothing ongoing has been announced yet- so one would have to assume we would be booking with points as I believe you can modify/cancel once before 31 DEC 2021.
2. Assuming we find accommodation that can be cancelled up to 24 hours before arrival/fully refundable/ pay at the hotel, you then have the worry that a local outbreak could occur in the 7 days that we are away.
SO,
Assuming we book flights on points and book accommodation with the aforementioned benefits, you still have to (pretty much) pray that there isn't an outbreak in Bris/Sunshine Coast/GC etc while we are away in which case we would have to make a mad dash back to Melbourne with no accommodation refund. Furthermore, you also have the worry that an outbreak could occur in Melbourne, and not be identified until we are actually away, meaning that we would have to HQ regardless if all looked well and we decided to go.
Does that make sense?
Thanks to everyone else for replies!
My memory might be a jumbled mess, and past responses might not be indicative of future responses, but I think Qld:
1. Required 14-day quarantine at own place of travellers from the hotspot if already arrived same day (or earlier) as declared a hotspot
2. Allowed Greater Sydney entry with isolating for test on arrival/next day until negative
3. Required 14-day quarantine at mandatory place at own expense of travellers from the hotspot arriving next day after declared a hotspot
4. Then as venues multiply, made Greater Sydney a hotspot requiring 14-day mandatory quarantine at own expense
For Victorians/Melbourne returning home
1. If arrived before red zone declared, 14 days quarantine at own place.
2. If red zone declared, 14 days mandatory quarantine
3. If red zone expanded, Victorians given a day’s notice to return home to allow 14-day quarantine at own place. After that mandatory quarantine.
4. A hot zone could result in refused entry or requires mandatory quarantine.
So points to note, if you arrived before any hotspot declared, you might have to either do quarantine at your accommodation (probably ask for an exemption to leave by private car before end of 14 days) or do a test and isolate until negative result
You are right about making a mad dash back to Melbourne, but you probably wouldn’t want to remain in an outbreak area anyway.
Lol....Another option is to consider Byron instead of Qld. NSW didn’t close borders until over 100 new cases per day.
