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A father of four who dies in a hospital bed will only be able to see one of his children one last time due to strict coronavirus border rules.
Doctors have told Mark Keans that he is unlikely to live past Christmas as the 39-year-old trucker loses his battle with terminal stage 4 brain and lung cancer, after being diagnosed a month ago. .
But Queensland officials have told the family that only one of their children can cross the border between New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia, to avoid posing a risk to other cancer patients, 9News reports.
Mark’s family is outraged, and others wonder why there are state border restrictions.
Kean’s father, Bruce Langborne, told 9News: “Let us see our son, that’s all we ask. We just want to see him.”
“I have no idea how we can work to choose a (child).”
The administration of the premier of the state of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has ruled that only one of Mark’s children will be allowed to cross to Brisbane in Queensland from New South Wales to see him, despite requests for exemption from the family. .
The child will be allowed to see his father on a one-hour supervised visit before having to return to the other side of the border. All of his children are under 13 years old.
Mark’s sister Tam Langborne told Daily Mail Australia that the family was struggling with the decision of which child should be chosen to see their father in his last moments.
She said: “The youngest of the boys is only seven years old. I think sending him alone to see his dad for an hour would do a lot more harm than good.”
“I understand the reasons behind the border closure, but what hurts the most is that actors and sports teams get a free ride into Queensland because they have a name.
“All we want to do is sit with our brother and thank him for a good life and for the children to see him one last time.”
She added: “The youngest of the children is only seven years old. I think sending him alone to see his dad for an hour would do a lot more harm than good.”
The family was presented with the option of being quarantined in Queensland for two weeks, but could not afford a hotel for 11 people for fifteen days.
Paying for quarantine in Queensland costs $ 2,800 for one adult, $ 3,710 for two adults, and $ 4,620 for two adults and two children.
However, Ms Palaszczuk has allowed 400 Australian Football League officials to enter her state for the Grand Final, while Hollywood star Tom Hanks will not be forced into hotel quarantine after flying in from the United States. United, as the premiere affirms the film industry’s Covid-safe plan. makes it exempt.
Today in the Queensland Parliament, Ms Palaszczuk appeared to dismiss the family’s case and highlighted how she was unable to visit a sick relative due to the border closure.
She said: “My uncle was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and I was not able to visit him in the hospital.”
But New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard expressed outrage at his comments.
The Queensland and New South Wales governments are said to be embroiled in a tense dispute over the closed border.
Hazzard said: “I can only express my anger, my supreme anger, at the decision of the Queensland Prime Minister, which in my opinion is nothing more than a vile and far-fetched policy. I am appalled.”
Ms Palaszczuk’s opposition has urged her to “show compassion”.
The state’s strict border restrictions are said to be having a negative impact on communities in New South Wales, which borders Queensland to the north.
Several accounts similar to Mr Keans’ have been documented in the Australian press.
News South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “I urge the Queensland Prime Minister to carefully consider the impact that border closures are having on our communities, on our citizens on both sides of the border.
“You have to look at this issue from a compassionate perspective, a human perspective and appreciate that people with medical problems, with compassionate reasons or just to go to work, must be considered.
Berejiklian doesn’t see why the border restrictions should still be in place by Christmas, as New South Wales recorded just nine new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.
Five of them are linked to a hospital and two are people who work in health.
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