NSW border deadline enters final hours after new cases south of the border on Wednesday

New South Wales authorities have less than 24 hours to find the likely source of one case of COVID-19 that’s threatening to keep Queensland’s borders shut beyond November 1.

New South Wales authorities have less than 24 hours to find the likely source of one case of COVID-19 that’s threatening to keep Queensland’s borders shut beyond November 1.

It comes as Health Minister Steven Miles said Queenslanders were likely to be told if the border would reopen on that date before the October 31 state election.

The Palaszczuk Government came under fire again yesterday from its southern neighbour, with NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard slamming Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as “cruel” for her refusal to open the borders.

Ms Palaszczuk, who insisted she had a good working relationship with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, said she was on “high alert” because NSW residents were told to be on “high alert”.

“We are going to be looking at those (NSW) cases, I’m looking forward to seeing what the Premier of NSW has to say,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“If the NSW premier is on high alert about those cases, I’m on high alert.”

The Queensland Government has insisted NSW must record 28 days without community transmission of the virus before the borders would reopen, and had set a potential date of November 1.

But eight new local cases were recorded in NSW over the past two days, sparking a warning the southern state had 48 hours to find the source of the infections before the clock potentially restarted - a deadline Ms Berejiklian slammed as “artificial”.

NSW claimed to have traced the source of seven cases, leaving one outstanding.

Queensland recorded zero new cases again yesterday and has four active cases remaining.

Mr Hazzard said he was “constantly” getting requests from people trying to see loved ones on the other side of the border.

“I think Premier Palaszczuk is being political, she is being cruel,” he said.

Health Minister Steven Miles said it was ‘our hope’ that a decision on the border could be announced before Queenslanders go to the polls on October 31.

“As we did last month, we announced with about a week’s notice that the border zone would be extended,” he said.

“We’d hope to be able to give that kind of notice again this month.”

Mr Miles said 14 travelling show workers who visited COVID-ravaged Victoria were busted in Mackay and ordered to leave Queensland immediately after entering the state on a freight permit which was “not appropriate”.

All 14 tested negative for the virus.

- Additional reporting by James O’Doherty and Sarah Elks