Covid Qld: New cases revealed as tough border restrictions take hold

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed Queensland has recorded no new locally acquired cases as the tightest clampdown since the pandemic began is about to get even tighter. Meanwhile, a deal has been struck with the Commonwealth to build a dedicated quarantine site.

Essential workers needing to cross the Queensland border will need to be vaccinated from Friday.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the new policy on Monday morning and said it would start being enforced on Friday as the delta outbreak continues to creep towards her state from NSW.

Ms Palaszczuk confirmed Queensland has recorded no new locally acquired cases as tensions mount at the border with NSW amid the tightest clampdown since the pandemic began.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned Queenslanders to remain vigilant. Pic Peter Wallis

She said it was great news, but she urged Queenslanders to remain vigilant as she explained the reasoning for the new vaccine requirement.

“They (essential workers crossing the border) will be required from Friday to have at least one dose of their vaccination,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We are extremely concerned about the possibility of this virus coming into Queensland so we will take every precaution we possibly can.

“The positive sewage testing for Delta has been creeping northwards, so we are very concerned.”

The warning came just minutes before NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed there were 478 new Covid cases and seven deaths in the past 24 hours south of the border.

QLD Covid-19 summary:
🍩Double donut day
🔒Premier claims NSW lockdown will be "several months"
💉Essential workers across border must have at least one jab by Friday if they want to come in.
💉QLD pushing more vaxxies to southern end of state @couriermail#covid19Aus

— Madura McCormack (@MaduraMcCormack) August 16, 2021

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Ms Palaszczuk had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth to build a dedicated quarantine site at Pinkenba.

Mr Miles said he anticipated that the facility would be open by around the middle of next year.

“We need it as soon as possible,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk thanked people for their patience amid the hard border closure with NSW as she warned that the order would be enforced.

She said delays of about an hour had been experienced on the M1 and about 28 minutes on the Gold Coast Highway.

The Damascus Barracks at Pinkenba.

She said officials were extremely concerned about the virus entering Queensland.

“We know that the NSW lockdown will be several months,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“These measures are strict. We will be enforcing them.”

Ironside State School, which was linked to the Indooroopilly cluster, has reopened to students today.

It comes as lengthy delays are expected at the Queensland-NSW border on Monday, after the Sunshine State introduced its toughest border measures to date.

Every single car that tries to enter Queensland will be stopped by police, with very few allowed entry as the state enforces its toughest border restrictions since the pandemic began.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said after learning from Twitter the entire state of New South Wales would go into lockdown she had no choice but to mobilise more police to protect the border.

“These are probably the tightest border controls we’ve put in place, they are going to be very strict,” she said.

“We worked very hard to get extra police presence down there … because all of New South Wales is in a lockdown position there should be very minimal movement over their border, and that extra police presence will ensure that we will do everything we can to keep Queenslanders safe.”

The crackdown came after New South Wales went into a snap statewide lockdown on Saturday evening. It recorded 415 Covid-19 cases on Sunday.