The Queensland government will keep state borders closed for least a month, citing concerns about community transmission of COVID-19 in southern states.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the borders will stay shut on Sept. 1 as a Victorian man who had coronavirus was caught trying to enter the state and two more local cases were reported.
“We said we would review at the end of each month and there has been no advice from the chief health officer to change what we are doing,” she said.
The premier said Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young wanted to see southern states, and NSW in particular, go through two COVID-19 incubation cycles without any cases of community transmission.
“I’ll tell you what we’re looking for: to keep Queenslanders safe, that’s what we’re looking for,” Palaszczuk said.
“Dr Young, our chief health officer, has made it very clear that she doesn’t want to see community transmission and there is community transmission at the moment in the southern states.”
She said her border closures had been vindicated by the arrest of a Victorian man with COVID-19 arriving at Brisbane Airport on Aug. 31.
Victorian authorities had been trying to find the man after he tested positive for the virus a few weeks ago.
He was intercepted by police at the airport after arriving on his 9.19 a.m. flight and could be charged after further investigation.
The premier said contact tracing would be conducted on passengers on the flight and some may need to self-quarantine.
Marty Silk in Brisbane
