QLD border to close to NSW

Acting State Premier Steven Miles confirmed the border changes.

By Dominique Tassell

From 1am tomorrow morning, the Queensland border will be closed to residents of New South Wales.

Acting Premier Steven Miles confirmed the change this morning at a press conference.

Masks will be required for seven more days in 11 council areas in and around South East Queensland.

Other restrictions will be eased, such as increasing the amount of people allowed to gather in homes from 30 to 100.

There will be no limits on gatherings held outside.

Restrictions will be lifted for hospitals and aged care facilities, and hospitality venues will be permitted one patron per 2 square metres.

Wedding restrictions will be lifted from 100 people to 200 people, and dancing is now allowed with a one person per 2 square metres.

Funeral allowances will double from 100 to 200.

Mr Miles stated that “”In order to be able to ease these restrictions, we need to close the border to the rest of New South Wales”.

“That will mirror the arrangements currently in place in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania.”

Mr Miles confirmed there will be exceptions for those in the zone from the Clarence Valley to the South Australian border.

Check points will be installed at key locations.

Mr Miles said this “will allow people to move around those communities for essential reasons, all the things that you would expect like to go to school to go to work, for healthcare or to care for others”.

He announced the border zone will not include Coffs Harbour and stated this is due to there being “risks” there.

New South Wales will remained a declared hotspot for four weeks, with a review possible depending on how the outbreak progresses.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young also addressed the media, stating the border closure is necessary due to cases in New South Wales being detected in locations outside the areas currently in lock down.

“It is really starting to escalate,” she said.

“It is important that we increase the restrictions on New South Wales.”

Ms Young stated that mask wearing was a key factor in limiting transmission in Queensland.

“I am positive the reason we have not had community spread recently is because people have been genuinely wearing their masks,” she said.

Stanthorpe Police said it was all hands on deck at the station after the announcement.

Queensland has recorded no new Covid-19 cases overnight, and has confirmed 1,761 cases and 7 deaths overall throughout the pandemic.

The state currently has 36 active cases and has conducted over 3 million tests.