Coronavirus Gold Coast: Tourism leader calls for massive fines and jail time for border jumpers
Angry Gold Coast tourism leaders are calling for anyone caught breaching Queensland’s strict COVID-19 quarantine measures to face crippling fines and jail time.
Gold Coast
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THE Gold Coast’s leading tourism figures have backed further closure of the Queensland border, saying safety will be a priceless asset going forward.
The shutting of the border to NSW and the ACT on Saturday, less than a month after its reopening came as a shock to the Gold Coast’s biggest sector, which has lost more than $4 billion in the six-month COVID-19 crisis.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said keeping the Gold Coast safe from infection was critical in both the short and long term.
“The safe opening of the border has always been our priority and safety is paramount right now,” she said. “Our reputation as a safe destination will be a priceless asset to maintain and is of the utmost importance for the long-term survival of our sector.
THREE KEY REASONS WHY QLD HAD TO SHUT BORDER
“This closure will prolong the impact on the sector which has been devastated but we support the State Government’s moves and in the long-term protect our reputation as a safe place to live.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision will be reviewed on August 31, leaving South Australia as Queensland’s only port of call for visitation.
Gold Coast Airport chief operating officer Marion Charlton said the restrictions would reduce flights “to the extremely low levels we saw before the Queensland border was reopened”.
“This change will have a significant impact on the tourism sector and local businesses we support,” she said.
“Businesses have closed due to measures put in place to manage the pandemic and others are just hanging on, with further jobs at risk.
HOW BORDER SHUTDOWN WILL AFFECT SPORTS COMPETITION
“We were particularly surprised to see the border between Queensland and the ACT shut given the fact the ACT has no active COVID-19 cases and a new infection has not been reported for about three weeks.”
Flights will continue between the Gold Coast and both Townsville and Adelaide.
The Gold Coast’s tourism industry was worth $6 billion before the COVID pandemic shut down international and domestic tourism.
The initial impact was costed at $40 million but this has now blown out to more than $4.3 billion.
Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan said the new closures would have a “detrimental’ effect on the industry.
“It will be substantial so I believe we need to become experts in intrastate marketing,” he said. “We need to have a hook to make sure people come from all over the southeast to stay in our hotels and eat in our restaurants.
“The Gold Coast is in dire straits but we need to work with the hand we have been dealt and that means tapping into the drive market.”
Mr Donovan pleaded with locals to support traders in their time of need.
The initial closure of the Qld-NSW border lasted from late March at the height of the virus’ first wave until July 10 when it was reopened in accordance with the COVID road map created by the National Cabinet.
However the devastating surge in positive cases in Victoria and rising clusters in Sydney forced the State Government to gradually reimpose restrictions.
Mr Donovan said he was furious at the flagrant breaches of quarantine rules and said greater deterrents were needed.
“We need to get tough on these people,” he said.
“If you are found to have lied on your border declaration then you should be given a $100,000 fine and serve six months in prison.
“If you get caught cheating the system over something so serious you should be punished.”
A Village Roadshow theme parks spokesman said it was closely monitoring the situation in the southern states.
“While it is disappointing that guests from this market will not be able to travel to the Gold Coast, we understand the Government’s approach and will continue to work with them throughout this period,” he said.
“We will continue to focus our marketing efforts on attracting locals and visitors from non-restricted regions to our parks, where they can experience our world-class line-up of rides, shows and attractions.”
Sea World reopened on June 26 before Movie World and Wet n Wild reopened on July 15.
An Ardent Leisure spokeswoman said the company still expected Dreamworld and WhiteWater World to reopen in time for the September school holidays.
Tweed Shire councillor and Chamber of Commerce president Warren Polglase was hopeful of a “mini boom” driven by people who normally travel and holiday over the border.
“One person’s disadvantage is another’s advantage,” he said.
“We have a lot of wonderful places to go and see, people should be out marketing as much as they can to see if we can get a boom of people who can’t get into Queensland.”
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