Queensland to ban travellers from Greater Sydney, threatens to “slam the border shut”

Queensland will close its border to Sydneysiders following the confirmation of two new COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State.

Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk said in a press conference posted to her Facebook page that the state will close its border to all of Greater Sydney from 1am on 31 July, alongside 31 additional New South Wales areas.

The news follows two new cases in Queensland, both 19-year-old women from Logan and Acacia Ridge who returned to the state from Melbourne via Sydney on 21 July.

Palaszczuk said on Tuesday that the state will not hesitate to close its border to all of NSW.

“As I said yesterday, we will not hesitate to slam the border shut if there is an outbreak of community transmission in Sydney,” she said.

“We are watching New South Wales incredibly closely… we will take the health advice and we will act swiftly when we need to do so.”

Palaszcuk advised Queenslanders not to travel to New South Wales.

“Now is not the time to leave Queensland. Now is the time to stay in Queensland and stay safe.

Today, the Queensland Premier told media she was “furious” that the state had two new cases and said there will be a thorough police investigation.

“Two people have gone to Victoria, have come back and have given authorities misleading information,” she said.

This comes as NSW Health confirms it is contacting passengers on a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Sydney after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19.

The state health authority said a 30-year-old woman who was on flight JQ506 on 25 July has tested positive and is in isolation with contact tracing underway.

“Passengers who were close contacts are being placed into self-isolation for 14 days after the flight and asked to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, and get tested, even if they have the mildest of symptoms,” NSW Health said.

NSW Health has singled out rows 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 as passengers who may have been in close contact with the woman.

A Jetstar spokesperson told Travel Weekly it is working with NSW Health to follow the necessary contact tracing procedures.

“Passengers travelling on flights to and from Melbourne are required to wear masks on board flights and throughout the airport,” the spokesperson said.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is always our number one priority and we have extra measures in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of our customers, including enhanced cleaning and masks and sanitizing wipes.”

Featured image source: Facebook/Annastacia Palaszczuk