NSW says it may never reach the threshold set by Queensland to reopen its borders, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian warning that 28 days of no community transmission is not feasible.
The divisive issue of border closures will dominate Friday's national cabinet meeting, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison pushing for border restrictions to be eased in time for Christmas.
But the Queensland government says it will not reopen its border with NSW until the state achieves 28 days of no community transmission of COVID-19. The longest period NSW has achieved during the pandemic was two weeks in mid-June.
Ms Berejiklian, who had a "polite and constructive" discussion on Wednesday with her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk, said 28 days was a "pretty tall order".
"I don't know anywhere on the planet where a society can function openly and productively during a pandemic and give an assurance that you are going to have zero cases of community transmission for a prolonged period," Ms Berejiklian said.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday that the only criteria for reopening the interstate border was the four weeks without community transmission in NSW.
Border stoush between Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gladys Berejiklian may drag on till the end of the year. Credit:Getty Images, Brook Mitchell
"At this point in time, the trigger to open the border into NSW is when they have had two incubation periods [14 days each] of no community transmission," Dr Young said.
"Yesterday [Wednesday], they had one case, so they are getting there.
"Now, if they were to have 28 days of no community transmission – that is the current definition to open the border – then that would occur.
"We know the highest risk of bringing the virus into this state is from areas that have higher amounts of community transmission."
On Thursday, NSW recorded 16 locally acquired COVID-19 cases, with only one not linked to known cases or clusters.
Ms Berejiklian urged her counterparts to trust in their health systems.
"If you have confidence in your health system, if you have confidence that contact tracing is something you can deal with in your state there shouldn't be a reason for you to keep your border closed given the low rates of community transmission currently in NSW," she said.
"Everyone wants certainty, everyone wants to be able to plan ahead whether it’s businesses or reuniting with family."
Health workers who lived in Queensland could not visit NSW border towns because of the quarantine requirements, Ms Berejiklian said.
She said she would ask Queensland to look closely at the condition, and described her talk with Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday night as constructive.
“It’s a matter for the Queensland government what they would do but I didn’t get a sense that they would relax their borders anytime soon," Ms Berejiklian said.
The Palaszczuk Labor government has extended its border closure to NSW, the ACT and Victoria to the end of September but it is unlikely to happen before the October 31 election.
Ms Palaszczuk has been accused of putting her re-election bid ahead of the welfare of NSW residents, with her party telling supporters there will be no change to the policy until after the poll.
Alexandra Smith is the State Political Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
Kate Aubusson is Health Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-09-03 08:05:00Z
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