August 5, 2020
Two people arrested in Nanango will face charges after allegedly lying on their border entry passes.
The 68-year-old woman and 63-year-old man were arrested on Tuesday.
The pair allegedly crossed the border at Goondiwindi on July 27 before heading to Nanango.
They were directed into mandatory hotel quarantine on Tuesday, not in the South Burnett.
Results of coronavirus testing are not yet available.
The pair are due to appear in Richlands Magistrates Court on August 19.
Speaking at a media conference in Brisbane on Monday, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the pair had been issued with notices to appear in court.
“These are very serious offences indeed,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
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Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski speaking in Brisbane:
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Earlier, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the border with NSW will close.
From 1:00am on Saturday, August 8, all visitors will be denied entry except for rare exemptions, and returning Queenslanders will have to pay for 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has declared all of NSW and the ACT as hotspots.
The Premier said the hard border closure put Queenslanders first.
“I said that when the moment came, I would not hesitate,” the Premier said. “That moment has arrived.”
“Victoria hasn’t improved as we hoped and I won’t wait for NSW to get any worse.
“I will not risk our State’s economic recovery by allowing COVID to spread. I will do everything I can to protect Queenslanders and the economy.”
Only residents of border communities and essential workers, such as truck drivers, will be able to cross the border.
Exemptions – including for compassionate reasons – will be limited. Passes for border communities will be for those with proof of address and photo ID.
The Premier said providing notice gave people time to plan.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said recent examples showed a blatant disregard for the law.
“The selfish and reckless actions of a few people are putting the safety of our community at risk and threatening to undo all of the good work of Queenslanders so far,” Mr Miles said.
“I urge Queenslanders not to travel interstate; the risks are too great. Stay in Queensland and stay safe.”
The Premier said the border closure would be reviewed at the end of the month.
[UPDATED with correction. The original report stated the duo arrested were Nanango residents. They were, in fac,t visitors staying at a local home.]
Do we get to know where these two inconsiderate people have been in 10 days they have been wandering around the South Burnett?
Good on you Annastacia. It’s great to see one State leader taking proactive action in this situation, and not waiting until it’s out of control, re Victoria and NSW.
Yes it would be good to know which shops they have been into in those 10 days
Are you able to publish a list of places these people visited so we may know if we were in the location at the same time?
No, we can’t as we can only publish the information that we have. It is important to note, though, that Queensland Health has NOT issued any alert in regards to these people. When they issue health alerts, we publish them. It was stated today by the Local Disaster Management Group that there are NO COVID-19 cases currently in the South Burnett.