The Queensland government has agreed to reopen its border with NSW on November 1, but only if the state continues to record zero cases of community transmission. NSW has so far recorded six consecutive days with no new locally detected cases outside of hotel quarantine; a single case of community transmission, reported on October 1, was in a patient tested eight weeks prior who has now recovered.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the decision to reopen the borders was aimed at supporting the Sunshine State’s struggling tourism sector. However, she has set NSW a very difficult target, requiring 28 days without any community transmission in order for the border restrictions to be lifted. “We’ve made it very clear, our borders have kept us safe. We’re looking very closely at NSW,” Palazczuk said in a media briefing.
When the borders reopen, NSW residents will still be required to apply for a valid border declaration pass, although the criteria for eligibility will be softened to include recreational travel and tourism. There will also be no need for new arrivals into Queensland to isolate for 14 days. On September 4, prime minister Scott Morrison announced that all of Australia's states and territories, with the exception of Western Australia, had agreed to reopen interstate borders before the end of the year, with recently leaked government documents suggesting that free movement throughout the country could be reinstated by December 1.