PRESSURE is mounting for North Queensland to be isolated from the rest of the state in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Katter's Australian Party today commissioned a plane carrying the sign 'Premier, Isolate North Qld now,' across Brisbane in a bid to draw attention to the north's plight.
Kennedy MP Bob Katter said there were only six roads leading to the north, making the region easy to isolate.
He said with transients workers for mining and agriculture, plus limited health resources, the north was particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.
"There's a million people, extremely vulnerable, all you've got to do do is put up six road blocks and advise all the people in charge of the airports," Mr Katter said.
"The idea came originally from medical authorities from within the health department itself.
"There is grave danger of mass death in North Queensland, we are particularly vulnerable."
Mr Katter said anywhere from Mackay north should be locked down.
"Everybody knows North Queensland starts at Mackay, Hughenden, Mount Isa, it's 320km of nothingness south to any other significant towns namely Rockhampton, Emerald and Longreach.
"We are so vulnerable yet so easy to isolate."
But Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ruled out separating the state.
"There is no North Queensland border, okay, so can everyone just calm down on that?
"We are one state, what we have done is protected those more vulnerable in our community, those remote indigenous communities we have said very clearly because of their remoteness and also because 50 plus and over if you're an indigenous Australian with one or more chronic conditions you are at higher risk.
"We have taken the measure sot basically ensure those communities are in a semi lock down process, and that's the right thing to do I 100 per cent support that decision."
It comes ahead of tougher Queensland border control measures come into effect from 12.01am Friday, April 3, 2020.
Anyone who is not a Queensland resident or considered exempt from the restrictions will not be able to enter Queensland at all, replacing the former proviso that people could self-quarantine for 14 days.
People with an exemption must have a border pass or they will be turned around, however freight transport services will be exempt.
Additional barriers will be erected in the streets of Coolangatta to further enforce border controls.
Strict measures will come into force at midnight on Saturday, with fly-in, fly-out mine workers from interstate banned in Queensland if they are not critical to the resource sector.