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Queensland premier declares another Sydney region a hotspot

The Queensland premier has declared Fairfield, in Sydney’s inner west, a coronavirus hotspot.

Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

“Queensland borders will close to another New South Wales hotspot,” the premier tweeted.

“In response to further outbreaks – and on the advice of our Chief Health Officer – the city of Fairfield NSW has been added to Queensland’s list of COVID hotspots.”

Defence personnel are seen at a checkpoint on the Queensland-New South Wales border in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast. Source: AAP
Defence personnel are seen at a checkpoint on the Queensland-New South Wales border in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast. Source: AAP

The Fairfield area includes 27 suburbs: Abbotsbury, Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights, Bossley Park, Cabramatta, Cabramatta West, Canley Heights, Canley Vale, Carramar, Cecil Park, Edensor Park, Fairfield, Fairfield East, Fairfield Heights, Fairfield West, Greenfield Park, Horsley Park, Lansvale, Mount Pritchard, Old Guildford, Prairiewood, Smithfield, St Johns Park, Villawood, Wakeley, Wetherill Park and Yennora.

The directive will come into effect from 1am on July 27.

“Anyone travelling to Queensland who has been in Fairfield in the previous 14 days will be directed to hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.

“Forty-six cases have been identified in Fairfield connected to an outbreak at the Thai Rock restaurant. The declaration adds Fairfield to declarations in effect for travellers from Campbelltown, Liverpool and Victoria,” she said.

NSW recorded 19 new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, including three in hotel quarantine, with almost 25,000 COVID-19 tests conducted.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is seen during a press conference at Queensland Parliament House. Source: AAP
Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. Source: AAP

A cluster associated with the Crossroads Hotel in Casula has grown to 56 after three new cases were reported on Thursday.

The Thai Rock restaurant cluster at Stockland Mall Wetherill Park has been linked to a total of 46 COVID cases.

Three other cases recorded on Thursday remain under investigation by NSW Health.

There are just three active cases across Queensland with one new positive test overnight on Wednesday, where the virus was acquired overseas.

Ms Palaszczuk said the person was in hotel quarantine and "not considered a risk to the public" while also revealing her NSW counterpart had declined a request to move border checkpoints south.

 A general view of traffic congestion on the Gold Coast Highway on July 10 as Queensland's borders re-opened. Source: Getty
People were forced to wait for hours to get into Queensland after its border re-opened on July 10. Source: Getty

Ms Palaszczuk wanted the border moved to the Tweed River to resolve traffic congestion in Tweed Heads and Coolangatta where locals have been blocked in their driveways.

She wrote to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday asking for the border checkpoints to be positioned along the Tweed River in NSW.

"That has been met with a 'no' response, in terms of not at all inclined to do that," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I've tried. All I wanted to do was make it easier for those border communities.

"I do appreciate she does have other issues to deal with."

with AAP

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