Queensland-NSW Border Alert As Covid Denier Sparks Byron Bay Lockdown

Pressure to close the Queensland-NSW border is getting hot and heated as millions of northern regional NSW residents were plunged into a seven-day lockdown on Monday night, after a man travelled from Sydney to Byron late last month bringing the virus with him.

The 50-year-old is reported to have travelled with his two children looking at real estate with several northern NSW agents while infectious with Covid-19.

Byron Bay's Mayor Michael Lyon is fuming after the man who does not believe in Covid-19 failed to use QR codes, wear a mask or socially distance while in Byron and has refused to cooperate with health officials making the task of contact tracing almost impossible.

"It does make you wonder what he has been doing up here. But you know to be sick and not get tested for four days and only when he actually has to go to hospital because something has twigged...crazy," Mr Lyon told Nine.

With Tammworth, Byron Bay, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina under the stay-at-home measures, a Tweed councillor has urged the NSW Premier to enforce a “ring of steel” around Greater Sydney.

Tweed Shire councillor James Owen said it was a matter of time before the shire experienced an outbreak and wanted to stop Greater Sydney residents from travelling to the area.

“We don’t want people from Greater Sydney travelling to rural and regional NSW...I urge Premier Berejiklian and Minister Hazzard to act on this now before it’s too late.”

- Cr James Owen

Meantime, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk hasn't ruled out a complete border shutdown.

"We are absolutely concerned with what's happening in NSW, the further north the virus travels is alarming for us. So, we already have those border patrols in place, but if we have to go harder, we will"

- Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

The infected man is being treated in Lismore Hospital.

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