Queensland clamps down on NSW essential workers entering the state from Covid-ravaged regions as it records seven new local cases
- Queensland imposes new restrictions on essential workers on NSW-Qld border
- The state announced seven new cases of Covid at Friday morning’s update
- Queensland Premier repeated her fears about spread of the
Queensland recorded seven cases of community-acquired coronavirus on Friday, as stricter rules on the movement of essential workers in the state’s ‘border bubble’ with NSW were introduced.
One of the new cases was linked to the St Aidan’s Girls’ School while the others are related to Ironside State School and Brisbane Boys’ Grammar School.
The new cases increased those associated with the Indooroopilly cluster to 137.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reinforced her comments yesterday about her fears of the virus’ spread in NSW.
‘From Queensland’s point of view, we are very concerned about how the clusters are continuing to expand,’ she said.
‘I think we would need to hear very clearly from New South Wales what their clear plan is for containment.
‘The last thing we want to see is this virus spread north, the virus spread south, and spread across the nation.’
Residents who live in seven LGAs on either side of the NSW-Queensland border are allowed to cross the border for a ‘permitted purpose’, including work, medical treatment, care of a family member and childcare.
Under new Queensland Health restrictions, however, teacher, childcare workers, hospitality workers, sales reps and construction workers on non-critical projects are not permitted to enter Queensland from NSW.
The move follows comments from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday that she would everything in her power to stop the virus creeping across the border from northern NSW, where many communities are now in lockdown.
‘Do not go into NSW,’ she said. ‘Now is not the time to cross the border… stay within Queensland.’
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned Queenslanders not to travel to NSW, as new restrictions on the movement of essential workers in the border region between NSW and Queensland were introduced
People line up to enter the mass vaccination hub at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane on Wednesday
She and Deputy Premier Steven Miles also met online with the mayors of Queensland border towns on Thursday to discuss the risk the potential spread of the Delta variant to northern NSW crisis poses to the border communities.
‘The last thing I want to see is the virus coming across the border, to our southwest communities or into the Gold Coast and creeping north,’ Ms Palaszczuk said on Thursday.
‘We hope that NSW gets on top of this current outbreak and it is in the national interest for NSW to get on top of this outbreak.’
She said the NSW outbreak would ‘dominate’ national cabinet discussion on Friday.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young also said there would be a renewed push to lift vaccination rates in border communities.
Meanwhile, 6,000 families forced into isolation by the Indooroopilly State High School outbreak were emerges from 14 days of home quarantine last night.
The cluster in Brisbane’s inner western suburbs numbered 130 cases, drawing in several other schools in the city, including Brisbane Boy’s Grammar and Brisbane Girls’ Grammar.
‘You have absolutely kept Queensland safe,’ Dr Young said of the 15,000 people who entered home quarantine as a result of the cluster.
‘I don’t think I’m a hero, I just think it’s wonderful that everybody has done the right thing, because it could’ve been pretty disastrous when you look at what’s happened in Sydney,’ emergency department nurse Tina McKay told the ABC, after her household was one of those forced into self-isolation.