Sydneysiders not getting it: 550 turned back since border closed
Queensland has recorded five new cases of COVID-19 as more than 550 people are refused entry at the border.
QLD News
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Queensland has recorded five new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with all acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement this morning, revealing there were now 13 active cases in Queensland.
None of the five new cases are connected to the superyacht off Cairns.
It comes as scores of potentially infectious Sydneysiders are still trying to enter the state almost a week after the border was slammed shut on them.
The Sunshine State on Sunday marked 103 days of zero community transmissions of coronavirus.
On Saturday, one new case was reported in hotel quarantine.
Zero new cases were recorded on Sunday.
However, six days after Ms Palaszczuk declared Greater Sydney a hotspot following the virus outbreak on the city’s northern beaches, hundreds of Harbour City residents are still attempting to cross the border – and being turned back in droves.
A whopping 561 Greater Sydney residents and returning Queenslanders have been refused entry to the state since the border closed on Tuesday, including 79 people in 29 vehicles in the 24 hours to 6am on Sunday.
Meanwhile, across Sydney, police have handed out 15 infringement notices for COVID breaches across the Christmas period, breaking up a North Bondi house party and fining 11 people.
More than 40 guests were believed to be at a house on Blair St on Christmas Eve when officers were called over noise complaints.
The majority of the party guests fled the home when police arrived at 11pm however a small group remained behind, including two residents and nine visitors.
Two women – aged 24 and 26 – and nine men in their 20s and 30s were issued $1000 fines.
“It appears people are still not heeding the message,” Gold Coast police Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said.
“If you’ve been in the Greater Sydney area in the last 14 days, or you’re unable to prove to our satisfaction that you are complying with the chief health officer’s direction, you cannot enter Queensland via road ... We know that it’s been a difficult time for people – there’s been a lot of inconvenience, a lot of delays, (but) the border closure has contributed to a much safer Queensland. We’ve had more than 100 days without community transmission which is an outstanding result.”
Superintendent Wheeler said COVID-19 did not recognise Christmas.
“It’s still here, we’re seeing tragic things unfolding around the world,” he said. “We’re seeing those outbreaks in NSW which is why we’ve had to do that hard border closure ... This is difficult and we’ve been going at this all year.
“But we’ve got to keep going until there’s a safe and effective vaccine, widely administered across our state – and that could be some time away.”
Superintendent Wheeler said he hoped to open a fourth Gold Coast border checkpoint, on Miles St at Coolangatta, by the New Year to ease delays.
Originally published as Sydneysiders not getting it: 550 turned back since border closed
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