From November 3, Queensland will officially reopen its border to the people of NSW – with the notable exception of those living in the most populous part of the state, the Greater Sydney region.
Regional NSW would-be travellers can start planning their trips up to the Sunshine State where they will be allowed in after 1am on Tuesday, but for now, city residents and those in the surrounding suburbs will have to stay put. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced her decision on the morning of Friday, October 30, the day before the state will go to an election. Palaszczuk stated that her decision was based on Queensland's chief health officer's advice and was informed by the cases of local transmission that have been identified in Sydney. Palaszczuk had previously set an extremely tough criteria for allowing the border to reopen, saying that NSW would have to record 28 consecutive days without any instances of community transmission to be eligible. However, despite recording 12 straight days without any community transmission at the beginning of October, a small but persistent re-emergence of the virus has been simmering across Greater Sydney over the past two weeks.
The Queensland border will, for now, remain closed to those travelling from any of the 32 LGAs that make up greater Sydney and all residents from Victoria. Regional NSW residents – roam free, you've earned it. And don't mind us Sydneysiders, we'll just be sulking in the corner.