Victoria passengers need mandatory quarantine

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto has called for the State Government to impose a mandatory two week quarantine with no exceptions on any airline passenger arriving in Queensland from Victoria.

ANY passenger arriving at a Queensland airport on a flight from Victoria should be subject to a mandatory two week quarantine with no exceptions in order to safeguard the population from another COVID-19 outbreak, says Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto.

Mr Dametto said while he understood there were justifiable reasons for people arriving back in the state from flights out of Victoria, no-one should qualify for an exemption from a two-week mandatory quarantine.

“Media reports today that three passengers on a flight from Melbourne to Townsville on Sunday were not required to quarantine in hotels are alarming,” Mr Dametto said.

“Given the dire situation Victoria is facing with a second outbreak, we cannot be sure who has and hasn’t contracted COVID-19. How can you be certain an exempt person hasn’t contracted the virus? The risk is totally unacceptable.”

The Chief Health Officer’s latest Border Restrictions direction exempts specialist workers, adults required in Queensland under orders of any court or tribunal, those who are who assisting with or participating in State or Commonwealth law enforcement investigations, those who have transited through an airport in a COVID-19 hotspot and those on the vessel Spirit of Tasmania from undergoing a 14 day quarantine.

Mr Dametto said Queensland and regional areas in particular “could not afford” to be impacted by a second wave.

“The consequences would be absolutely disastrous,” he said.

“Hinchinbrook Shire has one of the most elderly populations in Queensland and I can’t even fathom what the consequences would be for those residents if there was an outbreak. Our small businesses have taken a massive hit during the pandemic and they won’t survive another shutdown.”

Mr Dametto said he would be writing to Health Minister Steven Miles urging him to impose mandatory quarantine on all passengers arriving from Victoria to airports in Queensland.

“I will not stand idly by while our population is thrown to the wolves because of government incompetency,” he said.

“The Minister needs to rectify this situation immediately.”