Geoff Provest, Tamara Smith and Janelle Saffin call for tougher travel restrictions

Northern Rivers politicians have also asked for a regional road map to better protect their communities when Sydney opens up, as two more shires brace for an expected snap lockdown.

Northern Rivers MPs are calling for the state government to restrict travel to the region from Sydney and to implement a regional roadmap. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Concerns about Sydney travellers visiting the Northern Rivers are expected to be raised at a crisis cabinet meeting.

This comes as some North Coast shires brace for an expected lockdown announcement after a new Covid-19 case travelled to the region from the state capital.

It is expected the state government will make an announcement about lockdowns for the Tweed and Byron shires at 11am.

Ballina MP Tamara Smith has called for tighter rules for travellers to be allowed to visit the North Coast from Sydney.

Ms Smith has asked for a four to six week moratorium to allow her region to boost its vaccination rate.

She has also said all visitors should be double-vaccinated and return a negative Covid-19 test.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest has backed this position and spoke with deputy premier John Barilaro about the issue this morning.

It is understood Lismore MP Janelle Saffin has taken a similar position and has written to Mr Barilaro.

“I just got off the phone to the deputy premier,” Mr Provest said.

“They’re going to take those concerns to the crisis cabinet.

“I’m happy with that.”

It’s been a difficult time for Mr Provest’s electorate, which has the added stress of Queensland border restrictions.

He’s troubled by the news a Covid-19 case visited numerous locations in the region at the weekend.

According to authorities, that person was infectious in the Byron, Ballina and Tweed areas between Saturday, September 18 and Monday, September 20.

The infected person travelled on Virgin Flight VA 1141 arriving at Ballina at 8.45am on Saturday and they are not a resident of Northern NSW.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest. Police and Fire fighters at the border. Concerned tradies and business owners gather at the Queensland and NSW border. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

According to NSW Health, they were at the Kingscliff Beach Hotel from 4 to 9pm on Sunday.

“I’d say that is a major concern,” Mr Provest said.

“(They) would undoubtedly have been with other people or met other people.”

Mr Provest said his understanding was that authorised travellers already had to be tested for seven days before travelling to the region.

He agreed they should also be double vaccinated.

“We’ve got to do all we can to keep our community safe,” he said.

Tamara Smith said it was important to note the latest cases to hit Northern NSW were “coming from greater Sydney”.

“Until we get our vaccination rates up we’re sitting ducks every time that happens,” Ms Smith said.

She said while the state government made it clear new cases would lead to new regional snap lockdowns – as experienced in Lismore from last week – there must be a specific plan for regional NSW when the “road map to freedom” kicks in as the state reaches 70 and 80 per cent double-vaccination milestones.

“What’s the plan for regional NSW when Sydney gets to 80 per cent and they all start flooding into regional NSW?” she said.

She said the community was not to blame for the Northern Rivers’ vaccination rates, citing the redirection of doses to the city, confusing health campaigns and “fear campaigns around the different vaccines”.

But more doses are now rolling into the region and she hopes to see rates increase.

“We just need the time,” she said.

“We need four to six weeks’ grace and I would argue every regional MP would agree with me.

“Regional areas need time to get their people vaccinated.

“None of us are begrudging supporting communities that are in dire need with vaccines but it’s cruel to divert doses of desirable vaccines from regional areas and then turn around and say, when you’ve opened up Sydney, ‘get your act together’.

“We are behind schedule for a reason and I’m not convinced that reason is vaccine hesitancy.”