Vaccinations must be offered to every eligible Queenslander before it considers opening up as the state rings alarm bells on what a COVID-19 outbreak will do to the health system without more federal support.
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A further push to increase vaccinate rates for vulnerable groups including aboriginal communities and people with disabilities is still needed, but it's only part of the equation, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says.
"There's another big part to this story and that is to make sure that the hospitals can deal with the capacity, because when delta comes in it will spread like wildfire," she said on Friday.
"There is no use rushing, we need to make sure we get the people vaccinated and the hospitals prepared, and until you do both of those it would be irresponsible to put the whole country at risk."
States are asking for the 50-50 funding agreement with the Commonwealth to manage the pandemic to continue, Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said on Friday.
"We are all trying to plan for the future beyond lockdowns and restrictions and how we live with COVID, and we can't do it on our own, the Commonwealth needs to support us on this," she said.
The comments come as the state welcomes the northern NSW town of Walgett back into the border zone from 1am on Saturday, while stay-at-home orders in Kyogle in the Northern Rivers region mean tighter movement restrictions will be in place.
Queensland has set up a border bubble for 17 local government areas in NSW allowing residents who have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to cross the border for work, education, caregiving, or shopping for essential items.
However, if an LGA is ordered into lockdown, Queensland restricts travel to only certain essential workers who have had one jab.
Six border zone politicians, as well as Gurmesh Singh, whose electorate of Coffs Harbour is not in the bubble, have written to Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles asking him to guarantee interstate travel for border zone residents once NSW reopens.
"It would be a travesty if Australians can travel overseas but cannot travel interstate," they wrote.
"We ask the Queensland government to give us this certainty and commit to keeping our border open."
The MPs said their constituents had suffered almost 18 months of uncertainty, with the past few months of open-and-shut borders especially difficult for residents who lived and work across the two states.
"We write to you in the hope that we can quickly resolve this crisis and restore our community, which has been divided for the first time since Federation," they wrote.
Australian Associated Press
