Coronavirus Qld: Hard closure of border to Greater Sydney

Roadblocks will be erected at the Queensland border from Tuesday morning as the state cracks down on travellers from Greater Sydney.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a hard border closure to Greater Sydney, with barricades erected from 6am tomorrow.

Police said anyone entering Queensland by road or air from New South Wales, including Queensland residents, would need to complete a border declaration pass online prior to travelling.

Those who have travelled from a declared NSW hotspot on or since Friday, December 11, are urged to get a COVID-19 test and immediately self-isolate. Travellers are also directed to apply for a Queensland border direction pass.

Queensland residents returning from a hotspot before 1am tomorrow are able to complete a 14-day quarantine process at home, provided they undergo a COVID-19 test.

As NSW grapples with an ever-growing coronavirus crisis, Queensland has recorded one new case, a quarantined traveller returned from overseas, and now has 10 active cases.

“This is really important everyone, we want everyone to do the right thing, so people will be turned around,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

She said people had already been turned around at the border.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young also urged anyone who was in the Glen Hotel at Brisbane’s Eight Mile Plains on December 16 to come forward, after a case linked to the Avalon cluster on Sydney’s Northern Beaches visited there.

She said 560 people have so far but “we’re not sure everyone has come forward”.

She also urged anyone in Queensland who was in the Northern Beaches in Sydney from December 11 to come forward and get tested.

“We are seeing very long queues at our testing facilities, if that happens, go online and see where the other testing facilities are,” she said.

“Don’t think it’s a sniffle or a cold, it could easily be COVID.

“We’ve got through this before, I'm positive we’ll get through it again,”

She urged people to hand over their details under the new introduction of mandatory QR codes or electronic processes.

The Premier urged anyone who had been in Greater Sydney this month to get tested.

Dr Young said despite long queues at facilities, that Queenslanders should get tested no matter how minor the symptoms.

“We are seeing very long queues at our testing facilities,” she said.

She said if that is the case, to go online and see which other facilities are open.

Dr Young has also urged Queenslanders to ensure their contact details are correct when filling out QR codes and check ins.

She said COVID testing clinics were ramping up their resources, extending hours and taking on more staff.

Greater Sydney would need another 28 days of no community transmission for the border to reopen to them, Dr Young said.

It comes as police begin turning back dozens of vehicles at the border after Greater Sydney was declared a COVID-19 hotspot.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young (front) with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Gold Coast police Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said about 80 people had been turned back after the hotspot declaration came into force at 1am today.

Border barricades were yet to be erected, but Supt Wheeler said there were traffic jams stretching up to 10km on the Pacific Motorway as Queenslanders rushed to return before 1am tomorrow, when they will be forced into hotel quarantine if they have visited Sydney.

“The delays are considerable and people really need to plan their journeys,” Supt Wheeler said.

“Because these delays are being measured in hours, not minutes.”

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the concerns were at the road borders.

He said while doing random intercepts, 81 people had been sent home and 112 had been sent into hotel quarantine.

“They did not have passes some of these people, or they had the incorrect passes,” he said.

He said there were four people who failed to abide by their home quarantine orders and were fined $1300.

“People that are in home quarantine need to understand that we will check them,” he said.

Mr Gollschewski said 81 people had been turned around from 1am this morning.

“I have no doubt those people were deliberately trying to get into the state,” he said.

Health Minister Yvette D’ath said the reason for introducing a mandatory electronic check-in systems was to ensure health authorities could obtain immediate access to patrons or customers.

“If we need to put in place penalties for those people who are deliberately giving false information then we will do so,” she said.

“This is not a joke. We are trying to save lives here.”

Ms D’Ath said a directive will be issued shortly from the Chief Health Officer about ensuring electronic check-ins.

“I remind businesses and people in Queensland... it is all our responsibility to do the right thing,” she said.

“We do not have any locally acquired cases in Queensland at the moment, and that’s the way we want to keep it.”

She said Queensland would not reopen to Greater Sydney and the Northern Beaches until January 8 when they will review the decision.