While Queensland has a justifiable sense of euphoria and the feeling of having dodged a COVID bullet, there are plenty of reminders that trouble remains just beyond the horizon.
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Many countries are suffering huge rates of infection and death and today Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australia's borders would remain closed for "a very significant" amount of time.
Mr Hunt says coronavirus infection rates are accelerating around the world. "For the time being we are an island sanctuary," he told ABC radio this morning.
Closer to home Victoria's active case numbers are now the highest they've been in more than two months after six days of double-digit growth.
The concern is now that the long-predicted second wave will escape Victoria and infect the other states.
Queensland is still COVID free for the moment and remains on track for Stage 3 easing from July 10.
But plans to open the borders on that date may need refining. We have done a terrific job in keeping it safe so far.
Now we need to keep it real and proceed with extreme caution.
A vaccine is still possibly a year away so we must protect our "island sanctuary" at all costs.
Derek Barry,
Editor, North West Star