A fourth-generation Gold Coast farmer located only kilometres from a hinterland border with NSW says he fears his business may not survive another hard closure.

It comes as Gold Coast commerce leaders say the third lock out to NSW in just over one year has "eroded hope" tourists will make plans to holiday on the Gold Coast.

Freeman's Organic Farm at Currumbin Valley is located only kilometres from the crossing into Murwillumbah, via Tomewin Mountain Road.

A Queensland Police spokesman said this entry to NSW would again be subject to a hard border closure, with access only available for emergency services vehicles.

"Last time, I estimate my takings were down 30 to 40 per cent. I reckon I lost $50,000 and I was going to close my whole business that has been going more than 100 years," David Freeman said.

"The only way I survived was to use my whole Army pension just to pay the staff and keep my little farm shop going and I lived like a church mouse.

"I kept going because I'm fourth generation and it's a family legacy. So many people depend on my organic farm shop and cafe, it's sort of the unofficial club of Tomewin Mountain".

Mr Freeman said he didn't know how he would "cope" if the current border closure ran longer than two weeks.

"One part of me wants to close, but I'm a fighter... but I'll have to probably scale back my operations, but the truth of it is if my trade drops back again, I'll have to let some of my part-time staff go," he said.

The long-time Currumbin Valley local said the border closure at Tomewin Mountain Road also affected "a lot of commuters" and families who took their children to schools in Murwillumbah or came from NSW into Currumbin Valley.

He called on the Queensland Police to man the border crossing during daylight hours.

"The closure completely fractures the cross-border community," Mr Freeman said.

Blockages reinstated, passes needed for travel

Checkpoints went up overnight at Griffith St at Coolangatta, Miles St at Kirra, the Gold Coast Hwy at Bilinga and the M1 at Tugun.

Smaller borders checkpoints including Nerang-Murwillumbah Road, Natural Bridge and Tomewin Mountain Road at Currumbin Valley are also expected to be installed today.

A border bubble extends south to the Clarence Valley and west to Broken Hill.

Queensland border residents can cross into NSW for work, school, essential shopping and medical reasons.

Chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young says crossing for recreational events, exercise or holidays is not permitted.

"People should not be crossing the border for social reasons, not to come to restaurants, cinemas or football matches," she said on Thursday.

"People on the border will be fully aware of the types of things sensible to cross the border for."

From 1am Friday, Gold Coasters crossing the border for essential purposes will still need to fill out a travel declaration and apply for a border pass, which lasts for 14 days.

Closures 'erode hope' for business

Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall says the border closure had crushed "hope" for local businesses.

"Fundamentally, what it's done for us is just completely eroded and dissolved fully that last bit of hope we had for people to plan ahead," he said.

"Not that the window was huge, but that window has firmly closed now. So it's just that confidence that we're going to miss now in our businesses and the decisions they make going forward for the foreseeable future, unfortunately."

The city's business leader said the return of the border blockades was expected by the business community given the worsening COVID outbreaks in southern states, but it still felt like "a punch to the head".

Mr Hall called for more transparency and consultation from the state government, adding businesses didn't have "much fuel left in the tank".

He called for a localised voucher system to encourage Gold Coasters to holiday within their own city.

Mr Hall said the border had taken longer than expected to lock down.

"It's enabled a few people to move around footballers, wives," he said, referring to the NRL teams and their families relocation to the Sunshine State.

This will be the third time the borders have been closed in just over a year.

Border bubble back but congestion expected

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said he was confident the border bubble would soon be running smoothly.

"It's not what we want … it's not what businesses need but we have to protect our residents," he said.

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski warned residents that the checkpoints will today be congested as locals get used to the return of the hard borders.

"When we first implement this it does get very congested, it does get very difficult and we're asking all of the community to work with us through this," he said yesterday.

"Pack your patience, make sure you have the right passes, but realise once we implement this for a period until it settles we will see some congestion and delays, so please work through with us on that."

Border residents wear the brunt of restrictions

NSW Cross-Border Commissioner James McTavish said border residents needed to be aware they could only cross into NSW for "very specific purposes".

"They can go to work, they can access health care, they can go to school, they can do a essential shopping, and they can provide care," he said.

"But they can't go to restaurants, they can't catch up with their friends, they can't go to the beach or exercise. It's for very specific purposes only."

He said border communities had been "wearing the brunt" of COVID restrictions between states.

"I think the past 18 months has really worn people down. I get a sense that there's a lot of people that have... nearly had enough of 2021 already," he said.

"We're working as hard as we can to make sure that the needs of people in our border communities are met as best they can."

Mr McTavish said he was lobbying all levels of government for support packages for those directly affected by border closures.

Coolangatta restaurateurs brace for cancellations

Mark Belcher, owner of Coolangatta Mexican restaurant The Aztec said he felt "dejected" the border to NSW had closed again.

He said he had a full house expected for Saturday night, but was bracing for cancellations from Tweed residents.

"It's not going to be good for any of us, but we will try and make it work like we did last time," Mr Belcher said.

"If it helps bring all these cases down in other states and territories, then maybe that's just a thing we have to go through, but hopefully it's only for a short period of time."

He said if border closures were in place for more than one month it would start to critically impact trade moving into the September school holidays.

Mr Belcher said he had kept afloat during previous lock downs due to a loyal customer base.