Add CategoryMotorists are queuing at the border of Queensland and NSW ahead of its closure on Saturday morning as police warn the situation is not going to improve as the clock ticks down to a hard closure of the border.
As of 1am on Saturday, the border will shut as NSW and the ACT are declared coronavirus hot spots, joining Victoria on an unenviable list of places banned from entering Qld.
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Gold Coast Police chief superintendent Mark Wheeler told the Gold Coast Bulletin the changes to the border system were going to cause “significant delays”.
“Unfortunately, that will increase over the weekend and the days to come,” he added.
“That’s unavoidable, we have to ensure proper scrutiny of each vehicle and the occupants.
“I’d anticipate it’s probably going to be a little bit worse … the entirety of Victoria, NSW and the ACT have all been declared and that’s a lot of people.”
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He said people who attempt to enter Qld, mistakenly or otherwise, have to be dealt with individually and that’s going to lead to significant delays.
Already on Thursday motorists were waiting around an hour to get across the border.
Residents who live near the border are able to apply for a cross border pass, but police are still working out who will qualify for those passes, which you should be able to apply for by tomorrow afternoon.