Queensland will open its borders to parts of New South Wales next month in a long-awaited relaxation of restrictions to people in the neighbouring states.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the exciting announcement on Tuesday morning, confirming that Queensland’s border zone will expand from 1am on October 1. From this date the council areas of Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes will all be included and border residents will be able to apply for a border pass and travel around Queensland for any purpose. Queenslanders will also be able travel to the select areas of New South Wales.
BREAKING: @AnnastaciaMP has announced from 1am on the 1st October, the following shires will be added to the border zone: Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley, and Glen Innes. Zero new cases have been recorded for Queensland overnight. 16 active cases remain. #covid19 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/TfZ4sXiyNJ
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) September 21, 2020
“I think is a great effort to consider how we can make our border zones more effective,” the premier said in a media conference. “These areas have a lot in common with Queensland, they usually do a lot of business with Queensland. We’ve also been in contact with the NSW authorities to advise them of this today as well.”
This new announcement comes as Queensland records no new cases overnight, with 16 active cases remaining in the state.