Coronavirus Gold Coast: State border reopening in doubt after Victorian COVID spike
Hopes of reopening the Queensland and NSW border today are up in the air after a day of chaos cast a cloud over the long-awaited decision business leaders say is critical to the Gold Coast’s future.
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THE Gold Coast’s tourism and airport bosses’ border reopening hopes are up in the air after a chaotic day cast a cloud over an announcement due today.
In a day of major developments yesterday:
* Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis continued to worsen with 75 new cases recorded while South Australia recorded three new cases, its first fresh ones in more than a month
* Australia’s peak doctors group said the Queensland Government would be justified in keeping the borders closed for another week or two given the escalating outbreaks;
* Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there was no reason why Queensland’s border should remain closed;
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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will this morning review whether the latest round of restrictions, including the border reopening, will still come into effect on July 10.
But political appetite for a full-scale reopening is waning quickly as the Victorian outbreak worsens
Instead of a border reopening, restrictions within the state could be relaxed earlier than July 10, including loosening social distancing rules within venues. Last week the Prime Minister said his advice was one patron per four square metres could be reduced to two square metres.
A delay would be another blow to the Gold Coast’s already crippled $6 billion tourism industry which has seen more than $4.3 billion stripped from it in the past four months. According to data released by Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham earlier this month, Queensland was worst hit by the border block, shedding 1000 jobs and copping a $147 million hit to the economy every week it remained in place.
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It would be particularly disappointing for Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills who strongly favours the reopening as a critical step in reviving the city’s economy.
“I do hope July 10 will be the opening date because we have missed the school holidays period and any opportunity to benefit from the short-term boost that would be created but we have to accept that,” he said.
“What it comes down to is certainty - if we have the gates open we can star putting flights back on the schedule and journeys can be planned, all things which cannot be done right now.
“We will not immediately swing back to where we were before but it will allow us to start rebuilding.”
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Gold Coast Airport now welcomes seven planes a week, down from more than 60 per day under normal operation.
Mr Mills said the resumption of domestic travel between states would allow the city to gradually return to around 40 per cent of its pre-COVID air traffic.
“We do not know wheat the situation will be around the Victoria traffic, if they will be treated differently or if quarantine will be in place,” he said.
“There is uncertainty about Victoria but by the time we get to December and January domestic demand will be very strong for the Gold Coast and that’s what we have our eye on.”
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said the tourism sector would respect medical advice and insisted safety came first.
But she said many struggling businesses would benefit from loosened social distancing restrictions.
“We need to ensure the health and safety of tourists and we have long advocated for a safe reopening of the borders as soon as possible,” she said.
“We hope Tuesday’s announcement will bring much-needed relief to the sector and the easing of social distancing would mean many of our smaller operators will be back in business and this would be a massive win for the sector.
“It won’t just be able having them survive but also providing them with the ability to earn more money.”
Queensland has two remaining active cases of COVID, with no new positive tests in the past 24 hours.
Mr Morrison on Monday said keeping the border closed was costing jobs.
“I would hope it will confirm the July 10 date. She didn’t offer any more on that on Friday (at National Cabinet),” he said.
“I was please to see that both South Australia and Tasmania confirmed their openings.
“I see no reason we can’t go ahead with these openings, they should go ahead.
“It’s costing jobs in those states and I’m please those states have pressed ahead. I would hope that Annastacia Palaszczuk will do the same thing in Queensland.”
The Australian Medical Association’s Dr Chris Moy argued State Government would be justified in keeping its border closed for another week, if not two, because of Victoria’s outbreak.
He said there were “genuine concerns” about the 150 new cases in the southern state in three days.
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