Planner’s battle to quarantine

A TOWN planner for the Kingborough Council will be allowed to enter Tasmania to go into hotel quarantine after she was left in limbo because there was no space in hotel quarantine.

The council hired a town planner from interstate after being unable to find one locally. Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt released a statement on Monday slamming the state government’s GTG system and labelling it “shambolic”.

Acting Police, Fire and Emergency Management Minister Guy Barnett said Ms Wriedt’s comments were disappointing, blaming the delay on the planner’s application.

“I am advised that the delay in a council staff member’s entry application being approved was because, unfortunately, it did not provide sufficient evidence to enable her entry to be fully assessed, which required further followup from the State Control Centre,” Mr Barnett said.

But Ms Wriedt said the employee’s application for essential worker status was rectified on September 15, confirmed by an email.

“You have provided suitable evidence to support your request to travel to Tasmania,’’ the emails reads.

“However, your application cannot be approved as there is currently no capacity to accommodate you in a government-designated quarantine hotel,” the email said.

The email directed the worker to reapply in 14 days, with no more documentation required. “She followed up a week later, but was advised that there was no room in the quarantine hotels,” Ms Wriedt said.

On Tuesday, the government confirmed the worker had been approved.