Police and mayors in regional New South Wales are urging holidaymakers to stay at home this Easter to protect communities from coronavirus.

Key points: Queenslanders visiting NSW this Easter face a $1,000 fine if their visit is non-essential, such as for a holiday

Queenslanders visiting NSW this Easter face a $1,000 fine if their visit is non-essential, such as for a holiday Northern NSW mayors want the borders closed from Queensland, but the NSW Premier says that won't happen

Northern NSW mayors want the borders closed from Queensland, but the NSW Premier says that won't happen Northern councils have closed four-wheel drive access to beaches, after a number of vehicles with Queensland plates were seen

It comes as local health districts continue to investigate a number of COVID-19 hotspots in regional NSW including Byron Bay, Port Macquarie, and Taree.

Richmond Police district crime manager Detective Chief Inspector Cameron Lindsay said the message from the police was clear.

"Stay at home, stay in your local area," he said.

And his message is even stronger for south-east Queensland residents contemplating a trip to northern NSW this Easter.

"Contemplate again, think about that trip and the necessity of it — it could be a very expensive trip," Detective Chief Inspector Lindsay said.

Extra police including specialised beach vehicles and bicycles would be used to patrol the beaches to make sure people comply with coronavirus rules.

"A visit to regional NSW is not an excuse — stay at home."

He said you could leave your house to exercise, to go for a surf, but you needed to stay in your local area — or risk a $1,000 fine.

"If people stay within their postcodes, stay at home, and do not visit regional areas in NSW over this weekend, there won't be any problems," Detective Chief Inspector Lindsay said.

"It would be a very expensive trip to come here over the long weekend."

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Police remind accommodation providers they may be committing a criminal offence if they allow holidaymakers to stay. ( ABC Mid North Coast: Kerrin Thomas )

Fears of Queensland influx

Ballina's Mayor David Wright begged the New South Wales Government to close its border with Queensland before Easter.

"We do not need south-east Queensland people or any other visitors coming here," Councillor Wright said.

"The borders need to be closed.

"At the moment people from Queensland or people staying in Queensland have got free reign to come down here and they're not being checked on the way back."

Queensland is already turning away interstate travellers who try to cross the border without a valid reason such as work or a medical appointment.

"I'm crying out now for them [the State Government] to help us … we need it by Friday."

Councillor Wright said he was extremely concerned for people locally, and the pressure on the health system.

"I certainly know that our hospital here in Ballina is not ready to cope with an influx of people with the virus — they just haven't got the capacity," he said.

"With the amount of elderly people that we have, we just can't afford to have an outbreak."

Councillor Wright said if the border was not shut then the area needed extra resources.

"Easter here is normally crazy and I can see it this year — people in Queensland are told to stay at home, so they're going to come to NSW and do what they would like to do," he said.

"I can't visit my new grandson up in Brisbane, however they can come down here and pose a risk to other people.

"I'm asking for those in power, I'm just asking and begging you that the border is closed to prevent a spread of a virus down here that is sort of holding a gun to everybody's head.

"Allowing people to come is a bit like Russian roulette. If you're allowing extra people here, the people who come here think they've got a right to holiday."

His call was echoed by the mayor of the neighbouring Richmond Valley Shire.

It comes after an estimated 50 four-wheel drive vehicles were spotted at Lennox Head over the weekend, many of them with Queensland number plates.

Both councils have now closed four-wheel drive access to their beaches.

MidCoast Council has closed its beaches to deter tourists from visiting the region over Easter. ( ABC Mid North Coast: Kerrin Thomas )

Border to stay open, says Premier

The New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said she had no intention of closing the state's border with Queensland.

"I'm not going to disadvantage our communities living on the border, who may need to cross the border for urgent supplies or to care for loved ones," she said.

"I'm not a Premier that does that. I appreciate Victorian Premier is on the same page as I am on that."

The State Member for Tweed, Geoff Provest, said police and health officials had not been advocating for a border closure.

He said the focus should be on policing of accommodation houses and of beaches over the Easter weekend.

"I'm very hopeful that over the next 48 hours we will be advised of extra resources coming into our areas, particularly to police our holiday areas, our public parks, mainly our beaches — our beaches are one of the biggest drawcards," he said.



The warning from the Deputy Premier John Barilaro was clear.

"Do not visit your holiday home, do not take up your Airbnb accommodation, actually cancel it, cancel your accommodation, you are not welcome," he said.

On the NSW Mid North Coast, Police District Commander Superintendent Shane Cribb was concerned a number of people had already travelled to the area for a holiday.

"If the licence indicates they don't live at Forster or Taree or anywhere in the local government area, they will be turned around and sent back home," he said.

Accommodation providers have also been warned.

"They need to be mindful that they also may be committing a criminal offence in allowing people to stay in their premises," Superintendent Cribb said.

Joel Putland runs a houseboat hire business on the NSW Mid North Coast and said he had been fully booked for the Easter period.

"They were all ready to go, booked out throughout the Easter period, and now of course with the travel restrictions we can't do that," he said.

"People are doing what they're told because, as you can see, there's no-one here and usually this would be quite busy."

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