The Isolated Children's Parents' Association says it is devastated the Queensland Government will not ease restrictions for interstate boarding school students.
The Association met the Chief Health Officer, Jeanette Young, yesterday to ask for students outside the 'border bubble' to be allowed to go home for the upcoming school holidays, without having to quarantine on their return to Queensland.
Several boarding schools on the Darling Downs have been calling for the restrictions to be eased for students from towns including Moree, which are just outside the border bubble zone.
The Association's Queensland President, Tammie Irons, said Dr Young refused their request due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission in New South Wales.
"The New South Wales Government have not imposed any travel restrictions across their state, despite the increasing numbers of cases within that Sydney area and beyond," Ms Irons said.
"I guess they're looking at it as in those people in New South Wales could travel potentially into northern New South Wales, western New South Wales and cause a new case."
Mental anxiety
Ms Irons she understood the restrictions were in place to protect Queenslanders, but that it would cause anxiety for families that have not been together for months.
"The mental anxiety that is going through the minds of not only the parents, but the students, is our main concern … it's really distressing," she said.
Ms Irons said students wanting to go home would have to undergo mandatory two weeks hotel quarantine with a parent when returning to Queensland.
"My understanding is that the cost would indeed be met by the individual family which is of course a concern for us," she said.
"The costs … we've heard around the price of $3,000 for this quarantining, now we have to include a parent in that as well because a minor can't quarantine on their own for two weeks."
Dr Young said she had granted exemptions to allow students outside of the border zone to quarantine at school when they return to Queensland.
"Because the boarding schools have excellent COVID-safe plans, that we've worked through, I've given them the exemption that they can do that quarantine in the boarding school," she said.
"They must have their own bedroom, a single-use bathroom and they get their meals in their room.
"Boarding schools have done that effectively and they can do it again."
But Ms Irons said it would not work for all schools.
"You've got some schools on the Gold Coast, for example, that have upwards of 60 students that are actually impacted by these decisions," she said.
"There's no way those schools can actually quarantine that number of students."
The ICPA has also raised the issue with the Federal Government.
