Question Marks Over State Of Origin After Queensland Shuts Its Borders Amid Rising COVID Cases

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced more border closures amid the spike in COVID-19 cases in Sydney.

This news casts fresh doubt over the upcoming women's and men's State of Origin clash between Queensland and New South Wales with some players, family members, footy fans and the travelling media left in limbo.

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According to Palaszczuk, residents of the seven local infected government areas (City of Sydney, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West, Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra) will be locked out of the Sunshine State from 1am on Thursday.

As a result, one-way flights out of New South Wales have sky-rocketed in price.

"We know this Delta variant is much more infectious than other variants and we have serious concerns. So to keep Queenslanders safe, we will be following exactly what Victoria has announced last night," Palaszczuk said in a press conference on Wednesday morning.

"We haven't heard the update from New South Wales today, so people should be prepared that if there is further spread in New South Wales, this advice may have to be updated during the course of the day or into the evening.

"We want everyone to be safe, and we wish New South Wales the very best in getting on top of this particular variant... We're going well here in Queensland and we want to continue to keep Queenslanders safe."

It's understood the Maroons team is currently in Queensland, so they're safe.

But with the Blues camp currently in Kingscliff, they've been granted special exemption to cross the border but will need to complete declarations prior to entry.

Back in New South Wales and the NRL has acted fast by placing all players from the Greater Sydney area back into level three safety protocols meaning they won't be allowed to leave their homes unless it's for training or essentials.

As for future games, they're still yet to be postponed although New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced new restrictions on live crowds at sporting events with a cap at 50% stadium capacity plus compulsory masks.

Topics: Coronavirus, Rugby League, nrl, Australia, Covid-19

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry