Queensland is once again closing its border to all of NSW (not just Sydney) after the declaring the entire state a coronavirus hotspot.
Starting from Saturday, August 8, people from NSW and the ACT will be turned away at the border. Queenslanders returning from these places will also be made to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine, which they’ll have to pay for themselves.
“I said that when the moment came, I would not hesitate,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
“That moment has arrived.”
Like the NSW-Victoria situation, people living in border communities will still be able to cross as long as they show ID with their home address on it. However, other Queenslanders returning home won’t be able to drive across the border without an exemption, meaning they’ll have to fly instead.
BREAKING: Queensland borders will close to New South Wales & the Australian Capital Territory from 1am Saturday, August 8.
All visitors will be denied entry except for rare exemptions & returning Queenslanders will have to pay for 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine.#COVID19au pic.twitter.com/Yc7BxKJ3GW
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 4, 2020
Earlier this week, Palaszczuk said she was keen to wind back the number of exemptions being granted for people to travel from Sydney to Queensland after a defence contractor was able to skirt the 14-day hotel quarantine period by claiming to be a diplomat.
“Exemptions – including for compassionate reasons – will be limited,” she later said in a tweet.
There have been several incidents in recent days of people returning from Sydney or Melbourne but failing to disclose their travel to Queensland border control.
“It is clear now that Australia is experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 and we cannot afford to have that second wave in Queensland,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.
“There will be some critics […] but we are doing the right thing to keep Queenslanders safe.”
There are currently 11 active cases in the state, some of which are from community transmission.