SA border opens to most of NSW but Queensland still shut out
SA has reopened its border to parts of NSW but there is still disappointment for Queensland travellers.
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Borders with regional New South Wales opened from midnight but there will be no change to SA’s border restrictions with Queensland, the Premier says.
Premier Steven Marshall said SA was not yet prepared to open its borders with people from the Great Brisbane area but “we’re hopeful it will be done in the coming days”.
Mr Marshall said the hard NSW border would remain in place for people in high community transmissions zones which include Greater Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.
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People travelling from elsewhere in NSW will still need to have tests on day 1, 5 and 12 of arrival in SA but will not need to self-isolate while awaiting results – unless they have symptoms.
Mr Marshall said the restrictions on arrivals from the high transmission zones was being reviewed daily. But officials say they will continue to wait until there are 14 days of no community transmission before any further easing is likely.
He was also hopeful of lifting the restrictions on arrivals from Greater Brisbane “in coming days” but cautioned that he did not want to act too early and “have a catastrophe in our hands.”
Greater Brisbane – consisting of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, and Red Lands local government areas – is a COVID-19 high community-transmission zone.
Since January 9, people arriving from these areas have been required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the state and be tested on days one, five and 12.
Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade said the dedicated medical-facility for positive cases at the new Tom’s Court Hotel was on track to open next month.
He noted the two dedicated floors at the Pullman Hotel for positive cases now has 12 active cases but has capacity for 40.
SA recorded two new cases of the virus on Wednesday – two men in their thirties who recently returned from overseas. Both men were already in hotel quarantine.
The two new cases bring the state’s total to 590, with 12 active cases.
Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said testing rates continued to be high, with 5000 people screened for coronavirus Tuesday.
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