Covid 19 coronavirus: Australian couple fined $ 40,000 for fleeing airport breaks their silence

The two people who allegedly fled Melbourne airport after being told they would have to undergo 14 days of quarantine have apologized for their actions.

Terry Elford, 26, and his wife Debbie Elford, 24, arrived in Melbourne on Friday morning on a flight from Canberra.

It is claimed that they then fled the airport.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty told the Herald Sun: “They were spoken to by authorized officers and informed that they would be required to remain in quarantine for 14 days as per current CHO instructions.”

“The couple then fled the officer, fled the airport and were picked up by a vehicle outside.”

In a statement sent to news.com.au on Saturday afternoon, Terry Elford apologized for their actions and said they were confused about the rules.

“We are truly sorry for the disaster this has caused,” Elford wrote in an email to news.com.au. “Like hundreds of others on January 1, 2021, we were caught in the confusion when the rules for entering Victoria changed.

“We had a permit, we lived in a greenbelt in NSW, we were flying in from Canberra airport, which is allowed, and after arriving in Tullamarine, DHS officers stopped us and couldn’t tell us whether or not we needed to wear quarantined, so after about an hour we left.

“We attended an outdoor family barbecue before flying back to Canberra as planned that afternoon so Debbie could make it to her obstetric appointment on Tuesday. All of this was in line with the plans we had outlined to DHS officials. .

“We were really shocked when we woke up this morning to this media story, and after that, we have proactively contacted our local police in Goulburn to resolve this.”

“We have also proactively gone to test for Covid-19 this morning and we will be self-insulating.”

Elford’s statement came just hours after Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley announced that the couple would receive heavy fines.

“I wanted to make a particular mention of two people who escaped yesterday from discussions with authorized officers and who have apparently returned to Goulburn in New South Wales,” Foley said.

“On the advice of the public health team, these individuals have violated numerous orders of the state of public health emergency in Victoria and each will be fined at least $ 19,000 for breaching those agreements.”

Foley continued: “We have made the link between the group in New South Wales and the outbreak in Victoria. We are determined to get over it and I know that requires what seems to some people strict measures, but the virus does not respect state borders. “, said.