Coronavirus Qld: 70 per cent of Courier-Mail readers say QLD should open its borders to NSW now

Pressure is piling on the Queensland Government to fully reopen the border with NSW. HERE’S WHAT YOU SAID.

It could be more than a month before Queensland considers reopening its borders to all of NSW, despite other states pushing the button on reopening now, but the majority of Courier-Mail readers want it to happen now.

With about 5500 votes at the time of writing, an online poll of The Courier-Mail readers showed 70 per cent think the Queensland borders should be reopened now rather than later.

Police check cars at the Queensland border with NSW at Griffith Street in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast on Wednesday. Picture: Steve Holland/NCA NewsWire

The survey follows Health Minister Steven Miles’ announcement on Wednesday morning the Government would continue to make border decisions towards the end of each month, as it had already done for September by opening up to further parts of far north NSW.

“We will assess all the border restrictions toward the end of every month and that’s what we intended to do this month and will do next month,” he said.

Australian Defence Force personnel help police check cars at the Queensland border with NSW on Griffith Street in Coolangatta on Wednesday. Picture: Steve Holland

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Tuesday Byron Bay, Glenn Innes, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Ballina would be included in the COVID bubble.

However, the rest of New South Wales would remain locked out until community transmission there was further under control.

A staggering 70 per cent of readers want the decision to open the borders pushed closer, while 30 per cent think the borders to NSW should stay closed.

And readers haven’t been shy about giving their reasons why as they argued over the situation.

Emergency services personnel at the border of Queensland and NSW, onn Griffith St, Coolangatta. The government is pulling the Australian Defence Force personnel out of helping with the border control soon. Picture: Jerad Williams

“ ... We must keep our borders closed for safety,” one reader commented.

“Stop pressuring the Premier to reopen the borders to other unsafe states ... This is a disease with serious health consequences,” another said.

While others feel the border assessment needs to be considered more regularly.

“They should be assessing the situation every two weeks not at the end of each month as things change so quickly,” one reader commented.