Workers in Australia's worst-hit state in pandemic gradually return to office

People in Australia's state of Victoria will gradually go back to office working from Monday as the state continues to record zero cases of locally acquired COVID-19.

According to previous announcement of Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews, up to 25 percent of workers will be bale to attend onsite from Monday. Those who were not nominated by employers will continue to work from home.

As the worst-hit state in the pandemic, Victoria is gradually lifting restrictions as the situation is under control. The state recorded zero new case of the virus in the past 24 hours, with one death of a previously cleared case, the Victorian health department said in a statement on Monday.

At the same time, a major tourism campaign was launched in the east coastal State of Queensland to brace for tourists coming from Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) as Queensland will lift border control toward these two states from December 1.

"We're saying to tourists in NSW and Victoria - we want you," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement on Sunday.

"There's nothing better than Christmas holidays in the Sunshine State. If you're living in NSW and Victoria and you're looking for a holiday, we're urging you to come to Queensland where life is beautiful one day and perfect the next."

The campaign will also encourage tourists from those two states to treat their trip to Queensland as an international holiday, staying longer and spending more locally as Australians are still facing restrictions to travel overseas for holidays.

"Queensland is one of the world's favorite holiday destinations and we know interstate visitors have been dreaming of a Queensland holiday most of the year," the state's Tourism Industry Development Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said.

"This campaign will showcase the breadth of experiences on offer in Queensland to encourage a longer stay - in place of an international holiday."