23 July 2020
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young today declared the City of Fairfield in New South Wales (NSW) a new COVID-19 hotspot following further COVID-19 community transmission.
As of 1am Monday 27 July, people entering from this hotspot, in addition to existing COVID-19 hotspots, will no longer be able to quarantine in Queensland and will be turned away at the Queensland border. The only exception to this is people who are needed in Queensland for essential purposes and Queensland residents, who can enter the state but will be required to quarantine in government provided accommodation at their expense.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the Chief Health Officer had considered the number of cases and community transmission in NSW.
“Our border closure kept Queenslanders safe and our strong border restrictions on hot spots has continued to keep Queenslanders safe,” Mr Miles said.
“The number of positive cases in NSW is growing.
“We’ve declared another hotspot in NSW to ensure we are protecting Queenslanders.”
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the new hotspot is in addition to Campbelltown City, Liverpool City and all of Victoria.
“The City of Fairfield is adjacent to Campbelltown City and Liverpool City, which are current hotspots, and is also where the Thai Rock restaurant is located, which has had a recent outbreak,” she said.
“We are monitoring the situation closely every day and we will declare more hotspots if community transmission continues to increase.
“I urge travellers to consider the risks of travelling to NSW at this time as outbreaks can rapidly spread and get out of control, as we’ve seen in NSW, Victoria and other countries.
Dr Young recommended any Queenslanders currently in the City of Fairfield to make their way home before midday Monday.
“We’re giving people as much time as possible to come home to the safety of Queensland but that notice may not always be possible.
“If an area where you are staying or visiting is suddenly declared a hotspot while you are there, once you return to Queensland, you will have to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel at your own expense,” she said.
“Our job is to protect Queenslanders and, given the situation in NSW and Victoria, we need to implement tough measures.”
The fees for two weeks of accommodation, meals and room cleaning are: $2,800 for one adult; $3,710 for two adults in the same room; and $4,620 for two adults and two children in the same room.
For more information about public health directions, visit www.health.qld.gov.au.