Lifting of Queensland border restrictions met with caution by businesses as families plan long-awaited reunions

The Queensland border runs through the Coolangatta street where yoga studio operator Emma Ceolin runs her business, putting her on the frontline of the pain caused by a year of border shutdowns.

From February 1, Greater Sydney will no longer be declared a hotspot and millions of residents across 35 local government areas will be able to enter Queensland from Monday without undergoing mandatory hotel quarantine.

Ms Ceolin said ongoing border closures had impacted her future business plans and she hopes she has seen the last of them.

“A lot of our business came from New South Wales, so every time that the border did close our clients couldn’t get to us or weren’t willing to wait in traffic because sometimes the…