Seven politicians from four political parties have written to the Queensland government asking for more leniency on border restrictions.
The news comes after five new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the NSW Northern Rivers in the most recent 24-hour reporting period.
The Queensland government confirmed this morning that Kyogle in northern NSW would be placed in the restricted border zone, effective from 1:00am Saturday.
It means tighter rules for people crossing the border for essential reasons.
New cases
Two of today's new cases are in Kyogle, one in Casino and one in the Tweed Shire. The Northern New South Wales health district said all were linked to the Kyogle cluster.
A new case identified in Byron Bay is a household contact of the case announced on Tuesday.
The health district said there were 14 active cases in northern NSW to 8:00pm on September 30.
Kyogle began an 11-day lockdown at midnight, with restrictions scheduled to remain in place until they are changed statewide on October 11.
The stay-at-home orders apply to anyone who has been in the Kyogle LGA since Tuesday, September 21.
Cross-party letter
Upper and lower house politicians from the Nationals, Liberals, Labor and the Greens have asked Queensland's deputy premier to ensure residents in the Queensland-New South Wales border bubble will still be able to cross the border once NSW begins to reopen.
In a statement, the politicians said they had received "countless" calls, emails and letters about the hardships created by the border restrictions.
They called on Queensland to honour its commitment to the National Plan and commit to keeping its borders open.
It's the second time in less than a fortnight the region's politicians have banded together, after five lower-house MPs wrote to the New South Wales Premier asking for changes to the Sydney-regional NSW travel rules.
Lismore Labor MP Janelle Saffin, who signed the cross-party letter, also criticised the New South Wales government for its approach to COVID restrictions.
Ms Saffin said she was not surprised Kyogle went into lockdown but was concerned the announcement happened at short notice and that local leaders weren't consulted.
"We've got to be consulted. All of us [north coast politicians and MPs] up here consult with each other, so we just need better communication channels all the way."
Businesses lament 'flick of a switch' lockdown
A number of local Kyogle businesses voluntarily closed on Thursday ahead of the expected lockdown, which was announced at 6:00pm.
Kyogle Business Chamber vice president Sandra Binney said businesses were preparing for a lockdown, but not with such short notice.
"Less than 6 hours' notice to prepare for a lockdown for an 11-day period is significant."
The lockdown also applies to other towns in the Kyogle LGA that are currently COVID-free, including Woodenbong, Bonalbo and Tabulam.
"It is going to have a substantial impact on those towns and communities, and also on those businesses," Ms Binney said.
Uni campus closes after staff member tests positive
Southern Cross University has closed its Lismore campus until Tuesda,y October 5 for deep cleaning after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
Chief marketing officer Dean Gould said the case was linked to the Kyogle cluster and nine other people had been sent for testing and self-isolation as a result.
"He works in a laboratory, so a couple of things are in our favour there," Mr Gould said.
"It's fairly solitary work and the individual wears masks as a matter of course, so we're hopeful that the potential for other people to have come into contact with the virus has been limited by some of those factors."
