Top doc won’t rule out vax mandate for all crossing border from NSW

New rules being introduced from 1am Saturday will make it mandatory for every essential worker crossing the border to have had at least one vaccine dose.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has kept open the possibility of a jab mandate for everyone entering Queensland from NSW when the border to the southern state reopens.

It comes ahead of new rules being introduced from 1am Saturday that will make it mandatory for every essential worker crossing the border to have had at least one dose of their Covid vaccine.

Asked if it was likely that a vaccine mandate would be in place for everyone crossing the border when Queensland reopens the border to NSW, Dr Young said: “I don’t think likely is the right word”.

“It’s possible,” she said.

“But I think people should just get themselves vaccinated – I think that’s critical.

“The reason I’m asking critical workers and essential workers to get vaccinated is because they’re going into workplaces.

“And we know if they’re going into a workplace in NSW, that’s a risk – they could acquire the infection there.”

Police at the Queensland border. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

The vaccine mandate that comes into effect from today will apply to essential health workers, agriculture workers and construction workers who are allowed to enter Queensland from NSW.

“One of the requirements is it needs to be someone where they can’t find that skill set in Queensland, that the work can’t wait and that it has to be done by that person,” Dr Young said.

“The aim here is to just slow the movement across the border.”

Police yesterday warned they would be taking a “very vigilant approach” with enforcing the new border rules.

The Commonwealth is set to deploy about 120 Australian Defence Force personnel to support the police in their border efforts from August 25.

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski talks to the media conference for the latest Covid update for Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said people would have to show the relevant pass, their immunisation record if they are an essential worker and, in some cases, support from a Queensland government director-general to cross the border.

“Similarly if they have an exemption for other things such as medical appointments, be prepared to demonstrate that you actually have proof of that occurring,” he said.

Queensland recorded one new community acquired Covid case on Friday – a child who had since recovered from the virus and was linked to the Indooroopilly cluster.

In NSW, there were another 644 Covid cases recorded on Friday as authorities announced the Greater Sydney lockdown would be extended through to the end of September.

Curfews will also be in place between 9pm and 5am for local government areas of concern, with outdoor exercise to be limited to just one hour per day in the impacted communities.

In Victoria, there were 55 new locally acquired cases.