QLD, NSW Premiers raise concerns over VIC case spike

A recent spike in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria has raised alarm bells up north and could derail Queensland's border reopening plans, while New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged people to reconsider travelling to Melbourne. 

Speaking to the press this morning, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) said the state's plan to reopen borders on 10 July would still involve a review at the end of the month, but Victoria could be excluded from the plan.

It comes as Victoria extended a state of emergency over the weekend and has today reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 overnight.

"The AHPPC has said they have concerns about Victoria, I have concerns about Victoria, and the Health Minister has concerns about Victoria," says Palaszczuk.

"There is a lot of community transmission happening in Victoria and I hope that Victoria can get this community transmission under control."

Palaszczuk says the question of whether Queensland will open up to the entire country excluding Victoria will be considered this Friday during a National Cabinet meeting.

"The Prime Minister has said that he does not want to have certain states open to certain states, so I think that will have to be a very considered conversation at National Cabinet," says Palaszczuk.

"But I think it's something that we all need to look at in terms of what is happening in Victoria."

Ultimately, a decision regarding Queensland's borders will not be made until next Tuesday. 

Queensland has reported zero new cases of COVID-19 today.

NSW Premier: Reconsider travelling to Melbourne

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has told her citizens to reconsider travelling to Melbourne if possible as the city's COVID-19 cases grow.

Berejiklian says the travel warning is in line with health advice she has received, but has stressed the border to Victoria will remain open.

"Nobody from New South Wales should be travelling to those hotspots in the present time, and people should consider whether they should be travelling to Melbourne at this poin in time whilst community transmission is where it is," says Berejiklian.

"Having said that, we said from the beginning that once you start easing restrictions we will expect case numbers to go up but it's a question of how you monitor them, how you clamp down on them, how you make sure people are coming forward to get tested.

"It would be wonderful to think that we're through the pandemic but we're not, we have to live with this until there's a cure or a vaccine, and it's how you manage spikes that allows the community to keep being able to be active and working, and having a good life."

Updated at 12:55pm AEST on 22 June.