By Dominique Tassell
The Queensland State Government has this morning been forced to defend their decision to let NRL players and their families into the state at a time when hotel quarantine was paused.
Queensland paused intake to the hotel quarantine system last Wednesday, stating it was full.
Approximately 100 people including league officials and players’ wives, girlfriends, and children were allowed to enter Brisbane from Sydney on 30 August.
Sydney is currently a declared Covid-19 hotspot.
Member for Hill, Shane Knuth, questioned in state parliament this morning why NRL players were allowed to enter the state during the pause.
Minister for Health Yvette D’Ath defended the choice, stating the NRL players were quarantined in their own separate “hub”.
She stated “they have not taken one room away from someone who would have come in on an exemption”.
“That was dealt with separately to our hotel quarantine”.
She further stated that the majority of people trying to come into the state currently are not locals.
“85 per cent of those recent arrivals are all people who live interstate who want to relocate to Queensland,” she stated.
“I know there’s heartache,” she said.
“We’ve seen heartache all over the world.”
She stated that 100 people since the 16th June cluster had died in New South Wales, showing the importance of containing and preventing outbreaks.
Ms D’Ath also criticised the federal government for not providing help earlier with the quarantine situation.
The Premier this morning announced that 50 Queensland families would be allowed into the state’s hotel quarantine system after spots had opened up.
She stated that in the month of August, Queensland had 5044 domestic air arrivals and 6072 international arrivals.
She said “we keep some capacity because we don’t know when the charter flights are coming in”.
She confirmed the state is taking two additional plane flights from Afghanistan, which they are “happy to do”.
She stated that as soon as there is availability people will be allowed in to the hotel quarantine system.
