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Sally Aiturau had just landed in Queensland and was excited to see her family when an announcement on board changed her travel plans: that the entire plane had to be quarantined.
The Brisbane woman, who had stayed in Auckland to care for her mother, will unexpectedly spend Christmas in isolation, despite assurances from the Queensland prime minister that the quarantine would not be necessary. She is now trapped in a Brisbane city center hotel without access to fresh air for at least another week.
“Disappointment about another, and another,” he said.
After the prime minister announced that the state’s borders were open, Sally Aiturau was excited to return to Australia to see her family for Christmas.
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She saw the announcement from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk the day before her flight left Auckland, where she had stayed for five weeks caring for her mother after surgery.
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Sally Aiturau is in quarantine in Brisbane, where travelers are unable to leave their room to get fresh air.
Palaszczuk said the Queensland borders would be open to New Zealand starting at 1am on Saturday 12 December and that “with the kiwis able to travel to Queensland starting tomorrow, families will finally be able to reunite at Christmas.”
But that was not the case.
Aiturau was one of 17 passengers on the first flight to the Sunshine State in the early hours of Saturday, while on the ground her husband, children and grandchildren huddled in three cars and traveled to the airport to greet her with a bouquet of flowers. . .
However, once the flight landed, an announcement was made on board explaining that all passengers would be quarantined for two weeks.
“I thought ‘no, this is not happening’ … [I was] really disappointed, i was so sad i almost felt like i was running [the airport]. “
She said most of the passengers on board were as shocked as she was. “We were all heartbroken … staring at each other.”
An Air New Zealand spokesperson said the airline contacted customers booked on the flight directly to inform them of quarantine requirements. A Queensland government spokesperson said inbound travelers arriving over the weekend were informed of the quarantine requirements before boarding.
Sam Mooy / Getty Images
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on December 11 that Queensland was opening its borders to New Zealanders, but did not elaborate on the remaining quarantine requirement for some flights.
However, Aiturau did not see the email from the airline and went to the airport not knowing that he needed to self-quarantine upon arrival.
“They didn’t tell us anything [at the airport] … Air New Zealand didn’t even mention a thing to us. “
Arrivals in Australia must complete a travel declaration at least 72 hours prior to departure. Aiturau received a message from the Australian Department of the Interior alerting her to her quarantine-free travel status.
“Your declaration of travel to Australia has been assessed as meeting the criteria for a quarantine-free flight, provided your health status does not change,” the email read.
This made no difference, as the flight he traveled on was not a designated quarantine-free flight.
Aiturau, originally from Auckland, lives in Brisbane and booked her flight back before the one-way bubble was announced. She was willing to pay the quarantine and endure the two-week period, but, according to the prime minister’s announcement, she had the impression that she could go home directly from the airport.
“For me, that says I’m allowed to go home,” he said. “Both of them [her family in New Zealand and Australia] I had the same idea … [Palaszczuk] He said the borders are open from 1 am onwards. “
She described the ordeal as a “slap in the face.” “[I feel] totally lied. “
Going through customs upon arrival, Aiturau asked several staff members and police officers exactly what was happening, but no one was able to give him a direct answer. They were immediately loaded onto a bus and taken to the city’s Novotel Brisbane. That was the last time he was outside in the open air.
14 days without fresh air ‘ridiculous’
The Queensland government announced in early December that no one will be allowed to leave their room to get fresh air while in quarantine. This aligns with existing quarantine procedures in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT.
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Sally Aiturau booked her flight before the outbound bubble was announced and was excited to know she could go home upon arrival.
Aiturau, who suffers from asthma, has requested a room change due to poor air conditioning, but the lack of fresh air is torture.
“Fourteen days in quarantine without fresh air, that’s ridiculous,” Aiturau said. It feels like they are “prisoners”.
His Covid-19 test on day four came back negative. He is scheduled to come out of quarantine on Boxing Day.
Queensland’s quarantine is negligible compared to New Zealand’s, he said. When Aiturau traveled to New Zealand five weeks ago, he spent two weeks in managed isolation at the Novotel Christchurch Airport.
“We were all very lucky, it was incredible,” he said of his time in isolation in the garden city.
“We had breaks to get fresh air … [and] the family could come and talk to you outside the fence. “
The food was also of a very high standard, as was the support from the staff in the form of daily newsletters and activities for the children.
“The service we received for the quarantine didn’t make him feel so bad.”
Coming ‘green’ flights
The mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement on arrival in Brisbane will be maintained for all travelers departing from New Zealand on flights that the Queensland Government has labeled “red”. These are flights that carry people in transit through New Zealand.
This aligns with the national protocol adopted by Queensland that separates travelers coming from safe travel zone countries and those transiting through those countries.
“Anyone traveling to Queensland from New Zealand on a quarantine-free flight, where each passenger has only been to New Zealand in the last 14 days, will not have to self-quarantine upon arrival,” explained the Queensland Health Director Dr. Jeannette Young, in a statement on December 12.
“Anyone not traveling on a quarantine-free flight is still subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.”
Quarantine in Brisbane costs $ 2,800 ($ 2,981.90) for one adult, $ 3710 ($ 3951.01) for two adults, and $ 4620 ($ 4920.13) for two adults and two children.
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Air New Zealand expects to operate three non-quarantined flights to Brisbane each week once all parties have accepted the current protocols.
People who have been in New Zealand for more than 14 days and have not been to a designated Covid-19 hotspot are eligible to travel without quarantine on “green” flights.
A spokesperson for Air NZ explained that the airline is working with Australian authorities to ensure they can operate “green” flights to Brisbane for those whose travel originates from New Zealand. Until all Australian agencies are satisfied with the processes in place, travelers flying from Auckland to Brisbane will have to go into quarantine.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said the government is working closely with stakeholders to organize quarantine-free flights.
Air NZ hopes to be able to operate three non-quarantined flights to Brisbane per week once they have been given the green light.
