Queensland may have avoided another COVID-19 outbreak as authorities warn the NSW border could be shut until November.
Queensland Health hasn’t listed any new exposure sites in the state after two truck drivers were recorded as virus cases on Tuesday.
The pair tested initially tested positive in NSW with authorities there alerting Queensland Health about the results after they had crossed the border.
However, when the pair was retested twice in Queensland, they returned negative results for COVID-19 each time.
The pair, who live in the Sunshine Coast and Somerset regions, were deemed a low-risk and may have been false-positives.
Officials said exposure sites would be listed in St George and Balonne on Tuesday night, but none had been listed by Wednesday morning.
Balonne Shire Mayor Samantha O’Toole says the local disaster management committee believes the community is at low-risk from the virus.
“Everyone regarded as a close contact of the driver in Bollon and St George has been contacted and is in self-isolation,” she said.
While Queensland may have avoided an outbreak, the government still sees a risk from the Delta variant outbreak in NSW.
At present only certain essential workers who have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are allowed to cross into Queensland.
About 120 Australian Defence Force troops will arrive on the border to backup police on Wednesday.
Queensland Health has confirmed that strict border controls could remain in place until early November.
Meanwhile, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg believes Australia’s health system will cope with a rise in coronavirus deaths and cases when the country reopens.
The Morrison government is applying sustained pressure to state governments considering backing away from nationally agreed vaccine targets.
Mr Frydenberg said Doherty Institute modelling guiding the plan out of the pandemic showed a zero-case aim was unrealistic.
“We have to learn to live with COVID,” he told the Nine Network.
“It means deaths, it means serious illness and indeed means more cases. But our health system is built to cope. We have put in place a surge capacity for that.”
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He said there was no other alternative to opening up when it is safe to do so.
“We can’t live in lockdown forever.”
Under the agreement, the chances of lockdowns are reduced when 70 per cent of the population aged 16 and over is fully vaccinated.
At 80 per cent, only highly targeted lockdowns are likely to be used and state borders are expected to be open.
But premiers in WA and Queensland have called for updated advice because the initial modelling was based on relaxing restrictions with around 30 cases a day.
Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin said the targets could be maintained with hundreds of daily cases.
Professor Lewin said the strategy relied on maintaining testing, tracing and isolation along with other public health measures at a 70 to 80 per cent full vaccination rate.
“We will be moving from a zero COVID goal to living with COVID and at lower manageable levels that don’t overwhelm the healthcare system,” she told Nine.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will chair a national cabinet meeting of state and territory leaders on Friday with the deal fracturing.
The treasurer believes premiers and chief ministers are picking up on public sentiment supporting the plan.
