Premier’s warning as numbers explode: ‘We’ll slam the border shut’
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is monitoring the pandemic situation in NSW and Victoria but has urged Queenslanders to be on their guard.
Ahead of the launch of a new advertising campaign, Palaszczuk warned “complacency is our enemy” and interstate travel could potentially pose a risk to Queensland.
“Everyone thinks everything is normal in Queensland,” Palaszczuk said today.
“And we are very thankful that we have got our economy going, we have got a great health response happening, but anything can happen at any time.”
Having already restricted travel from Victoria, and several NSW hotspots, Palaszczuk would not rule out a “hard border closure” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“We will not hesitate to declare hotspots or we will not hesitate to, if it gets out of control, slam the border shut,” she said.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said he hoped border closures would be a last resort, with authorities first prepared to manage any outbreaks or clusters within the state.
While noting the “terrifying scenario playing out in Victoria,” Gschwind said Queensland was heavily reliant on interstate tourism, particularly during the winter months, and the easing of restrictions had provided a broader economic boost.
“A second shutdown like we’ve seen in Victoria would just break our spirit and our economy,” Gschwind told a parliamentary committee inquiry.
Gschwind said partly reopening the borders on July 10 had initially benefitted the south-east corner, then western Queensland when the stream of grey nomads returned – “the breaking of the tourism drought” – and also coastal and northern regions. However, tourist numbers were below normal.
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The new advertising campaign will remind audiences that, unlike in Queensland, “the world has been ravaged by COVID-19” and if people want to stay safe they should continue social distancing and washing their hands.
“We just need people to do the right thing and we know that there is widespread community transmission in Victoria and this is an added measure that can keep Queenslanders safe,” Palaszczuk said today.
“We’ve had a lot of reports of people not doing the right thing.”
Palaszczuk again expressed disappointment that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian would not consider Queensland’s request to move the Gold Coast border control checkpoints into the Tweed, saying locals faced continued disruption.
There were no new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Queensland overnight. There are five active cases in the state, from a total of 1076, and to date six Queenslanders have died.
