SA border restrictions with NSW unlikely to lift any time soon, may become ‘hard border’ closure
A hard border closure with NSW is now on the cards as fears rise among South Australian authorities about fresh outbreaks in that state.
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Hard border closures for NSW are under consideration as South Australian authorities become increasingly concerned about fresh outbreaks in that state.
As new cases skyrocketed to 428 in Victoria, where a hard border is expected to stay in place for months, attention turned to NSW, which reintroduced tough social-distancing measures amid growing fears of community transmission.
It comes as the rate of those entering SA and failing to comply with self-isolation regulations has doubled in a week.
SA Premier Steven Marshall said the entire country was now on high alert.
“What is happening in Victoria is a very blunt wake-up call for every other Australian state,” he said.
Mr Marshall said he could not rule out hard border restrictions for NSW – as with those imposed on Victoria – or a return to tough social-distancing measures if it became necessary.
He said monitoring both borders would take extra resources but he was confident it could be done.
“The land border with NSW is much less problematic than the land border with Victoria,” he said. “But we would need to manage it effectively.”
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton on Friday raised concerns about declining numbers of compliance with police orders.
SA Health data shows that since Sunday, 13 per cent of people checked have not been complying with self-isolation requirements compared with an average compliance rate of seven per cent during the course of the pandemic. But Mr Marshall said Police Commissioner Grant Stevens was delighted with the level of compliance.
It came as Scott Morrison yesterday said US President Donald Trump had been “very complimentary” about Australia’s response to COVID-19.
The Prime Minister had a 30-minute conversation with Mr Trump yesterday, when they discussed both countries’ economies and the ongoing pandemic crisis.
“We both want to see our economies go forward,” Mr Morrison said. “We want to see people back in jobs, and we share a lot of common views on those things.”
The two leaders also discussed boosting Australia’s defence capability amid increasing global uncertainty.
Meanwhile, a Victorian man, 31, arrested at Bordertown on Wednesday after avoiding coronavirus checkpoints on the state’s hard border has been fined $1000.
The man, who police say had a warrant out for his arrest in Victoria, also appeared in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody to appear again in August.
On Tuesday, SA put planned border reopenings with NSW on hold over fears of a growing cluster of cases from a highway pub, with another three cases reported on Friday.
It means anyone from either NSW or the ACT will still have to quarantine for two weeks upon entering SA.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday morning announced a return to some restrictions for businesses, weddings, funerals and churches in her state, which recorded another 13 cases.