Clarity on passengers needed

AS coronavirus infections in Victoria continue to climb and hundreds of thousands of people are placed into lockdown, the need for compliance from residents has been reinforced.

Yesterday 74 new cases were recorded in Melbourne and 108 new infections the day before, the second highest in the state since the pandemic began.

Despite the Victorian Government placing 12 postcodes into lockdown and residents in nine public housing blocks north of the CBD forced to remain indoors for at least five days, the first direct flight from Melbourne arrived in Townsville yesterday afternoon.

Those passengers are now undergoing quarantine in a government arranged hotel at their own expense.

It is unclear which hotels in Townsville are housing the people, with Queensland Health remaining tight-lipped over the locations.

It is also unknown how many people arrived from the COVID-19 hotspot, as Jetstar did not confirm how many customers travelled in the 186-passenger capacity aircraft.

In Victoria, the State Government is scrambling to contain the outbreaks, many of which can be traced back to the hotels.

The government decided to use private contractors, and bypassed the tender process when hiring three security companies to carry out the work.

As Victoria heads back into lockdown, our own state has started to lift restrictions.

From July 10, Queensland’s borders will reopen to all states and territories apart from Victoria.

Thousands of people have been stood down or lost their jobs, and for many businesses, this will be the final nail in the coffin.

In Townsville, our businesses have been hit with another blow after the devastating 2019 floods.

If anything, the outbreaks in Victoria have shown why we must continue to be responsible and follow health directives.

Businesses won’t be able to survive another shutdown, and it will only worsen the city’s economic woes.