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Residents stranded interstate 'knew the rules and risks' before they travelled and must now wait their turn to come home, Queensland's health minister has said.
Yvette D'Ath says she understands stranded Queenslanders are frustrated, but it would irresponsible to open up home quarantine arrangements to thousands of people without understanding what threat that might pose.
'We have been saying since mid-June, if you travel interstate there is a risk that there will be lockdowns, that there will be restrictions, and that if you do come back you have to fly and that you have to go into hotel quarantine,' she told reporters.
'I appreciate people are eager to come back but many of these people have actually gone interstate knowing what the rules are... they're just going to have to be patient.
'We can't have thousands of people all just coming home and all going into home quarantine without looking at the risk.'
Queensland's health minister Yvette D'Ath (pictured) says many residents stranded interstate 'knew the rules and risks' before they travelled and must now wait their turn to come home
The health minister also stressed the need to be patient (pictured, passengers from New Zealand arriving in Brisbane)
New Queensland Health data obtained by AAP shows there has been a flood of requests by people seeking permission to quarantine at home rather than in a hotel, with 1995 applications lodged between August 1
