QLD and SA confirm when borders will reopen – but it’s bad news for Victoria

New state border restrictions and allowances have rolled through today in Queensland and South Australia, with both states confirming they will be cutting off contact with Victoria altogether due to a continuous spike in Covid-19 cases, with 64 on Tuesday alone, taking the state’s total to 2,159 overall.

Queensland

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that from July 10 people will be allowed into Queensland from all states except Victoria. Travellers will only be allowed access after filling in a border declaration that will ensure no one has travelled to Victoria in the past 14 days.

Falsified documents will be slapped with strict penalties including fines up to $4,000. From July 3, anyone who travelled from Victoria will either be prevented from entering or will have to pay for quarantine in a hotel for two weeks at their own expense. Palaszczuk also warned that this might not be a secluded event if the virus continues to spread throughout the country.

“There is also one proviso here, and I hope Queensland families will understand this, if the Chief Health Officer reviews any state or territory at any time and there is outbreaks of community transmission like Victoria, we may have to take further actions. So I just want to make sure that everyone is aware of that,” she said.

Additionally, from July 3, the state will be moving into stage three which includes 100 people at weddings, the return of contact community sport, no limits on outdoor spectators and pubs and clubs allowed one person per two square metres.

South Australia

Meanwhile, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced the state has abandoned its decision to open its border to Victorian travellers from July 20 due to Covid-19 outbreaks. The premier said it would have a “dramatic effect on the AFL” and be an inconvenience to travellers.

This decision is a reversal of the SA Government’s commitment last week for a full domestic border reopening on July 20. Marshall said the move was to protect South Australians against the risks posed by Victoria.

“We are increasingly concerned about the outbreaks that are occurring in Victoria so we are not in a position to remove our border,” he said. “Previously we had advised that this would happen on the 20th of July and I’m now advised that the transition committee’s advice is that we should scrap that date. It has now been decided to completely revise the date we will lift these state borders.”

New South Wales

The NSW Government has decided to ban people living in Melbourne’s coronavirus hotspots from entering the state. The Health Minister Brad Hazzard revealed on Wednesday that anyone from an affected Victorian postcode found in NSW could be faced with massive penalties including six months in jail or a $11,000 fine, according to the ABC.

The new rules will also apply to people in NSW who visit the affected Melbourne suburbs. Hazzard said it wasn’t something the government wanted to do but it was a necessary step considering the state of Victoria’s coronavirus cases.

“I would expect police, if they see Victorian number plates, they will be looking at who and where and making sure they haven’t come from the hotspots,” he said. “”So take it seriously, take it very, very seriously.”