Vic flights spark anger
All three passengers on Melbourne flight exempt
THREE passengers believed to have been on board the first direct flight from Melbourne which landed in Townsville on Sunday afternoon are not quarantined in hotels.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said no quarantine directions were issued for passengers on the flight.
Herbert MP Phil Thompson said his office had been inundated with emails, phone calls and messages from angry residents over the flight and he believed planes from Victoria should be stopped and turned away.
THREE passengers believed to have been on board the first direct flight from Melbourne which landed in Townsville on Sunday afternoon are not quarantined in hotels.
Sources told the Townsville Bulletin there were only three passengers on Jetstar flight JQ916 with a 186-seat capacity.
It is understood the passengers are exempted and therefore not required to quarantine after disembarking.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said no quarantine directions were issued for passengers on the flight.
Assistant District Officer Superintendent Glen Pointing also said there were not any people in isolation hotels in Townsville.
“We were out meeting passengers at the airport for interstate flights, screening their passengers for legitimate reasons to come into Queensland,” he said.
Supt Pointing said people who needed to be quarantined in government arranged accommodation would be transported by police who would organise and transport them to a nominated hotel.
Only one passenger was on board a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast yesterday.
A Jetstar spokesman refused to confirm how many people travelled to Townsville on Sunday with the airline.
In the Townsville region there were 126 people quarantined as of Monday, down by three active notices from the day before.
It comes as 127 new COVID-19 infections were recorded in Victoria yesterday, a dozen postcodes identified to contain “hot spots” remain locked down, and residents living in nine public housing towers forced to remain indoors.
The Nsw-victoria border is shutting from midnight tonight after Victoria recorded its largest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began. Herbert MP Phil Thompson said his office had been inundated with emails, phone calls and messages from angry residents over the flight.
“Once again North Queenslanders are being treated like mugs by the Labor Premier … it’s a slap in the face to every person who lives here,” he said.
“Flights from Victoria to Townsville should be stopped and turned away … the people of Townsville will suffer if there is a COVID-19 outbreak.
“All the businesses that have suffered from the floods and continue to do it tough, and are just starting to get back on their feet will be crippled if they are placed back into lockdown.”
A spokesman for PremierAnnastacia Palaszczuk said Townsville Airport was working with QPS to ensure interstate arrivals were screened and the community protected.
“While the Prime Minister and members of the LNP have ignored medical advice and pushed for Queensland’s borders to be open to anyone, the Premier has been consistent,” he said.
The State Government announced last week the borders would reopen from July 10 to travellers from all states and territories, apart from Victoria.