Countdown to Queensland border closure
Thousands of people living in northern New south wales are applying for permits to travel into Queensland, with the state to close its border at midnight on Wednesday in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Residents living in the Tweed and New England areas will face a border policed in an RBT-style with officers to determine who will be allowed to cross.
Travelling to work, a medical appointment and delivering freight are classed as valid reasons for people to make the journey.
Anyone else who is approved entry to the state will be required to isolate themselves for 14 days.Police are considering stickers that residents can place on their cars as a means of quickly identifying those allowed through, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.
“We acknowledge this inconvenience may be quite challenging for some people, but we appeal to them to comply with our directions to help manage the impact of COVID-19 on our community,” he said.”You will see police officers and other officials, government officials, out on the road as of one minute past midnight making sure that these measures work.
“Many residents say it would be difficult to stop people crossing the border, but the measures had been put in place to protect the community, Mr Gollschewski said.
“The fact about this is that what we’re trying to do is reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19,” he said.
“So that’s about the big numbers of people coming across. The fact that someone might sneak through somewhere in the back of beyond, on some dirt track is probably not the focus for this.
“This is really about the big numbers of people on major corridors.” Â
