Travellers, not criminals

SOMETHING needs to be done to address the deplorable quarantine conditions in some of Australia’s hotels. Whatever the reason people have for travelling either to Australia from overseas, or interstate, they need to be treated with care and respect.

And unfortunately we are seeing far too many instances where hotels, which are paid for by either those forced to stay there or governments and which would otherwise be close to empty, are not meeting basic standards.

Quarantine is one of the major protective barriers between public life and coronavirus cases and when the facilities are managed badly, the ramifications can be deadly.

In Melbourne, the origin of this outbreak was a quarantine hotel.

We’ve just recently learned about a litany of failures, including the use of inadequate cleaning products, delays in cleaning and that security guards were also used to clean communal areas.

If that wasn’t bad enough, we’ve read reports about hysterical guests at a Melbourne quarantine hotel screaming, crying and banging on walls begging to be let out and that security guards were not trained to deal with it.

In NSW, residents were evacuated from a quarantine hotel in Sydney after leaked photos showed filthy conditions, including stained carpets and bedding, bugs and inedible food.

Then last week, Queensland reporter Pippa Bradshaw shared her heartbreaking tale after her father and her sister died in quick succession.

Shortly after attending her dad’s funeral, Ms Bradshaw desperately tried to fly to New York to see her sister who had unexpectedly collapsed. While she was mid-flight, her sister died.

On return to Australia, Ms Bradshaw was required to enter hotel quarantine in NSW for two weeks before she could see her family in Canberra for the funeral, then on return to Queensland she was once again forced into hotel quarantine. The difference between the states was stark.

A NSW nurse checked on Ms Bradshaw every day whereas she heard from no one in Queensland until day two, when a call centre worker from the Department of Justice called her. That was despite her asking for help as she was struggling emotionally with the weight of what she’d been through and being stuck in a room with no open windows.

It’s impossible not to be deeply disturbed by her story because any of us could land in that situation at any time and it’s terrifying to think in our hour of need we can’t expect kindness or comfort.

The premiers continue to go their own way when it comes to decision-making during coronavirus but national cabinet needs to consider national standards when it comes to hotel quarantine.

We need food standards, standards of care, mental health support and best practice for welfare checks, security and cleaning standards.

Life with coronavirus is hard enough without, in some instances, treating those who have to travel as no better than criminals.

Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by the Editor, Jenna Cairney, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000

WE NEED FOOD STANDARDS, STANDARDS OF CARE, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND BEST PRACTICE FOR WELFARE CHECKS, SECURITY AND CLEANING STANDARDS