Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and other NSW members of the white-ball squad were set to link up with teammates in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Queensland-NSW border closure means they will be a virtual presence at this weekend's meetings then fly out on Monday, when Australia's 20-strong touring party depart for a limited-overs series in the West Indies that begins on July 9.

Queensland Health's rules dictate that travellers from a hotspot are allowed to stopover then fly out, provided they remain in the airport.

Sydney-based players sitting out the upcoming tour, such as Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner, will also miss out on the chance to catch up with coach Justin Langer.

The change won't affect the preparation of Starc and Hazlewood, who alongside other members of the squad have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The gun pacemen weren't expected to train this weekend, having blown out the cobwebs while bowling during a visit to Brisbane last week.

But Sydney's growing cluster has served as a reminder of the difficulties involved with planning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It comes as former England captains Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen expressed alarm at the reported prospect of families being unable to join England's Test squad for this summer's Ashes.

Vaughan called for the five-Test series to be "called off" if English players' families weren't given the green light to travel to Australia.

"Four months away from your family is totally unacceptable," Vaughan posted on Twitter.

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler told the Daily Mail that reclaiming the urn would be a "huge challenge" without families.

It is unlikely that England will be confronted with such a scenario.

India's enlarged touring party for 2020-21 included the families of Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Cricket Australia (CA) should be able to achieve a similar outcome for England.

But it is unclear what restrictions will be placed on both squads, whose battle for the urn will run from December 8 until January 18.

Quarantine arrangements and biosecurity protocols for the Ashes rivals, who will both take part in the Twenty20 World Cup before flying to Australia, are yet to be finalised.

Test skipper Tim Paine noted last week that a fortnight of hotel quarantine "can be quite draining" after a tour.

"We've got guys who have done that six or seven times. That's 14 or 15 weeks out of a year sitting in a hotel room by yourself," Paine said.

"It's certainly an issue, there's no doubt."

Australian Associated Press