Qld builds ‘border wall’ at Coolangatta to stop illegal entry

A massive 700m wall is being erected at Coolangatta to stop tourists illegally entering the state during coronavirus restrictions.

Work is well underway on a “border wall” in Queensland designed to stop outsiders sneaking in during coronavirus lockdown.

The 700m wall is going up in Coolangatta, a coastal suburb of the City of Gold Coast which borders NSW.

It will take up almost the whole length of Dixon St and was being installed by Gold Coast City Council workers today.

A council spokeswoman declined to comment, but directed inquiries to Queensland Police and said the wall was being erected at the request of authorities with police managing the border closure.

News.com.au also contacted Queensland Police for comment.

According to the Courier Mail, police called for the wall to be constructed after being plagued by motorists who simply drove around the plastic barriers which were previously in place to deter drivers.

The publication noted that Tweed Head Hospital visitors and border residents were the main culprits, and that police were now pulling over all cars with NSW licence plates as a precaution.

On Tuesday afternoon, anyone who had been in the local government areas of Liverpool or Campbelltown in Sydney over the previous 14 days was barred from entering Queensland following coronavirus outbreaks in those areas.

The whole state of Victoria also remains a declared COVID-19 hotspot.

Queensland’s tough border restrictions mean people who have been in a coronavirus hotspot within the last 14 days will no longer be able to quarantine in the state and will be turned away at the state’s border.

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Sydney’s coronavirus hotspot areas were added to Queensland’s border restrictions on Tuesday. Picture: Nigel Hallett

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Locals will be able to return home but must self-isolate in government provided accommodation at their expense.

Everyone entering the state must complete a new Queensland Border Declaration Pass online before travelling to Queensland – and providing false information or entering the state illegally could result in a huge $4000 fine.

Gold Coast police Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said the new border pass would make it easier to manage checkpoints – but said lengthy delays were not going anywhere in a hurry.

“The one thing that will not change – there will still be delays, he said, according to the Courier Mail.

“That’s unfortunately an iron-clad guarantee. We’re funnelling tens of thousands of vehicles a day through one lane to visually assess and then filter either to an express lane or to an inspection bay.

“So irrespective of saving time (with the new pass), and we will, there will still be delays.”