TWEED TROUBLE
Covid closure hits hospital staff
HASTY new COVID border blocks splitting Tweed and Coolangatta are impacting hospital staff work travel and killing retail trade as the area battles crawling traffic again.
TWEED hospital staff are struggling with work travel, and shopping centres are all but ghost towns after a rushed Queensland border closure.
It comes as Queensland Police admits officers did not get enough notice to implement checkpoints for essential workers, such as hospital staff.
Tweed Hospital nurses, midwives and other staff have been contending with huge delays for hours at the Queensland-NSW border without much-needed special checkpoints to fast-track essential workers, whistleblowers say.
Almost 40 per cent of staff live in Queensland and about 20 per cent of patients also have to cross the border.
Patients have had trouble getting to appointments because Tweed roads resembled a car park due to traffic jams.
But Queensland’s Government has reiterated it will not review a contentious Greater Sydney border closure - splitting the Tweed and Coolangatta - until at least January 8.
Sources said medicos at the hospital 2km over the border were at their wit’s end.
“It’s a mess. Last time the border closed they had border exemptions for essential workers like hospital staff. They were able to show their ID and get straight through,” one said.
“That’s no longer the case. They’ve had to queue up at the border like everyone else.
“(On Tuesday), staff were told ‘Don’t bother, just keep your car in the car park’ because there’s no point queuing for three and a half hours.
“They’re having to walk over the border, they’re jumping through one of the blockades – there’s no one there, you just walk over so it defeats the whole purpose.
“It’s just crazy. If anyone needed to give birth I don’t know how they’re getting to the hospital (without an ambulance),” the woman said. “There’s just no commonsense.
“It’s just not fair to put people through this, especially people working in hospitals.
“They’re doing huge shifts and they’re expected to walk to the border.
“It’s an absolute mess.” A Queensland Police spokesman said the closure was “reinstated at very short notice” and the earlier system had been “reinstated as an urgent interim measure”.
“As more resources arrive to assist, it’s anticipated a fourth checkpoint will open on Miles St to assist in relieving congestion in the Tweed,” he said.
Police previously noticed border delays easing as the community became accustomed to pass requirements, the spokesman said.
Northern NSW Local Health District CEO Wayne Jones: “Any impact on patients accessing healthcare is disappointing and of concern.
“We’ve been in contact with the Queensland Government about implementing staff checkpoints to reduce delays.”
The hospital was “supporting our staff as best we can” and the health service was speaking with its Queensland counterparts, he said.
Tweed MP Geoff Provest said he approached the Premier to reinstate worker checkpoints, but had not heard back.
Many Tweed businesses, including in Tweed Mall shopping centre, are reeling.
Tweed Chamber of Commerce said priorities were freeing up traffic around health services and reopening a locals-only Ducat St checkpoint.
The Chamber’s John Weaver said it was disappointing the State Government knew what worked before and failed to implement it at a peak period.
IT’S A MESS. LAST TIME THE BORDER CLOSED THEY HAD BORDER EXEMPTIONS FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS LIKE HOSPITAL STAFF