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Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry has reacted to the news of the Queensland/NSW border closure by urging Tweed residents to stick to the current COVID-19 restrictions and support local businesses.
Queensland will close its border to NSW from 1 am tomorrow (Friday 23 July), it was announced this morning.
A border zone will come into effect at the same time – which includes a number of NSW local government areas (LGAs), including the Tweed.
NSW border zone residents can only cross the border for a permitted purpose. Likewise, Queensland residents can only enter the NSW border zone for a permitted purpose.
Permitted purposes include healthcare, work, education and caring for vulnerable people.
NSW will remain a declared hotspot for 4 weeks, with a possible earlier review pending the outcome of the current outbreak.
Councillor Cherry said Council had advocated for the Tweed, and other Northern NSW LGAs, to be included in a border zone.
“The arrangements announced today appear to be the best thought through to date,” Cr Cherry said.
“However, the border closure will have major impacts on our way of life, and residents should prepare for significant congestion at border crossings, especially in the coming days.”
Councillor Cherry encouraged residents to follow the NSW COVID-19 restrictions in place for the Tweed – and for residents to support local businesses.
“Our businesses are going to be doing it tough for the next four weeks at this stage, so please support them as much as you can but, of course, in a COVID-Safe way including wearing face masks, social distancing and checking in with QR codes,” she said.
“This is also going to affect many people’s mental health and I know our community will come together once again and support one another, and I encourage all those going through tough times to reach out to the support which is available.”
The NSW LGAs and regions included in the border zone are Ballina, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Byron, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes Severn, Gwydir, Inverell, Kyogle, Lismore, Moree Plains, Richmond Valley, Tenterfield, Tweed, Unincorporated Far West and Walgett.
For more information on the border zone, visit the Queensland Health website www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/urgent-covid-19-update#nsw-border-zone
Residents can also contact Queensland Health on 13 42 68.
Please note, Council is not the authority on public health matters.
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