Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[jakeseven7]

Bit of a stuff up, it seems that some International passengers were able to fly to Melbourne after landing in Sydney without going into Quarantine.

Immediate quarantine alert for Sydney to Melbourne flight passengers

All passengers and crew who flew to Melbourne on VA 838 on Saturday are being asked to self-isolate after two international travellers boarded the flight in Sydney without quarantining in NSW.

www.theage.com.au

The airline is following up with passengers now who are advised to contact DHHS.

The warning affects all passengers and crew who travelled on flight VA 838, which left Sydney at midday and arrived in Melbourne at 1.25pm on Saturday.

How on earth does this even happen.

Let’s pray they were negative.

 

[dajop]

Nah, we were out for dinner tonight and the table behind us were talking about it so definitely not from a source that had substance. Does seem very bizarre and no doubt more information will be released tomorrow

Unless they overnighted in Sydney first they didn’t come from NZ, as the first flight from NZ yesterday arrived at midday. The flight to MEL was midday.

Looking at SYD arrivals, it would have been Colombo, SFO, LAX, Tokyo or Santiago.

Honestly I don’t know how they got to escape, between the airport exit door and the bus there are a literal army of police, army and even navy personnel.

It could be possible that they were unaccompanied minors handed off to a parent or guardian, who are then supposed to self isolate. Maybe they instead took them to Victoria for self isolation.. Entirely possible given that there have been no international flights into Victoria (we saw this happen with an unaccompanied minor from our flight yesterday).

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Documents/air-quarantine-exemption-letter.pdf

 

[Lynda2475]

ABC breakfast just said NSW police investigating but the one gem was that another Airline (not Virgin) checked them in. Reading between the lines the family (so more than one person) had their domestic boarding passes before leaving immigration so obviously they had no intention to comply with hotel quarantine until caught.

Hope there are criminal charges laid against the family who knowingly tried to avoid their obligation and whomever failed to ensure they got on the bus to quarantine.

 

[Pushka]

How on earth does this even happen.

Let’s pray they were negative.

Stuff up. If they continue to test negative for just a couple of days then likely it will no longer be an issue?

 

[33kft]

news.com.au is reporting this morning that the two passengers had arrived from Germany

 

[jakeseven7]

Stuff up. If they continue to test negative for just a couple of days then likely it will no longer be an issue?

Better be negative.... regardless someone is going to be in a lot of trouble today.... and again undermines public confidence in the international arrivals process...

 

[Pushka]

Better be negative.... regardless someone is going to be in a lot of trouble today.... and again undermines public confidence in the international arrivals process...

It's like back to the Future - Ruby Princess. And how are German citizens allowed in anyway?

 

[Flying mermaid]

It's like back to the Future - Ruby Princess. And how are German citizens allowed in anyway?

It didn’t say German citizens, but arrived from Germany.

 

[Pushka]

It didn’t say German citizens, but arrived from Germany.

I suppose arriving from Germany is a little better than arriving from USA, France or UK (and a few others) in terms of risk.

 

[jase05]

So they arrived from Germany but already had their VA domestic flight boarding passes?
That would mean they were either ticketed in Germany or at the transit location so will be interesting to see which airline did it.
Still doesn’t stop the fact that the security at SYD allowed them through

 

[tgh]

It seems sensible to activate some "stick" incentives for Quarantine compliance to reinforce any carrots on offer.

 

[dajop]

ABC breakfast just said NSW police investigating but the one gem was that another Airline (not Virgin) checked them in.Reading between the lines the family (so more than one person)

If it was a family I’m going with a theory of 2 unaccompanied minors collected by a parent and taken to MEL. Most explicable. Anything else a serious lapse (as many police and defence personnel monitoring the process).

 

[Flying mermaid]

If it was a family I’m going with a theory of 2 unaccompanied minors collected by a parent and taken to MEL. Most explicable. Anything else a serious lapse (as many police and defence personnel monitoring the process).

Same family could still mean partners so not necessarily young. Isn’t it fun to speculate in the absence of data

 

[RooFlyer]

First international repatriation flight into Hobart today DEL-HBA, B787 (I think the first B787 to land at HBA). Joining 120 fruit-pickers from Timor Leste who went into hotel quarantine last week. Any part time security etc workers are having pay topped up to full time rates "so they don't need to take a second job". I wonder of they are being compelled not to work elsewhere, and how that's being checked?

 

[33kft]

From the VIC presser today, the travellers (who departed from/via Germany) have tested negative today with 2 more tests to be performed (tomorrow and at 11 days), and apparently that they were picked up after a car rental employee overheard a conversation about their journey and reported it.

They are likely not German (I edited the above) though, as German citizens wouldn't have the ability to enter Australia at the moment unless they also held some sort of Australian citizenship or residency.

 

[antycbr]

From the VIC presser today, the travellers (who departed from/via Germany) have tested negative today with 2 more tests to be performed (tomorrow and at 11 days), and apparently that they were picked up after a car rental employee overheard a conversation about their journey and reported it.

They are likely not German (I edited the above) though, as German citizens wouldn't have the ability to enter Australia at the moment unless they also held some sort of Australian citizenship or residency.

Well done car rental staff member!

Seriously though how could this happen. Did they just rock up to the transfer desk and get on the bus to T2? I can understand that the Victorians are fuming.

 

[nutwood]

Seems very strange that two people could get off an international flight and continue on their journey. I think there has to be more to this story. Departing a plane is like sheep through a raceway. There's no way of avoiding whatever process awaits.
The only possible way would be if they were processed and corralled but then absconded, possibly due to confusion rather than evil intent. Definitely seems like a failing in the system.

 

[dajop]

Seems very strange that two people could get off an international flight and continue on their journey. I think there has to be more to this story. Departing a plane is like sheep through a raceway. There's no way of avoiding whatever process awaits.
The only possible way would be if they were processed and corralled but then absconded, possibly due to confusion rather than evil intent. Definitely seems like a failing in the system.

Aside from the UAM scenario I outlined (who are not required to go into hotel quarantine), my theory, having experienced international arrival into SYD yesterday is the weakpoint between leaving the terminal and the bus is that there might be too many personnel there supervising. I counted probably 15 or so staff. Some loading bags, some escorting pax, the rest standing around chatting to each other. I could easily see how one person could think others are checking on the passengers. Reduce that to just 2-3 staff and someone holding people at the exit door of the airport, you could achieve better control, a case of more isn't necessarily better.

If the pax were wearing black trousers and black shirt or navy trousers/light blue shirt or army like gear it would possibly be not that difficult to escape.

 

[Pushka]

The only possible way would be if they were processed and corralled but then absconded, possibly due to confusion rather than evil intent. Definitely seems like a failing in the system.

Quarantine on arrival from overseas is required in many countries so it’s hardly a new thing. I think your assessment is too kind.

Negative result is a great start. And hopefully the same in 2 days. Victorians have worked too hard to let this particular awful management by NSW impact them.

I just thought that it’s good it was a rental worker who picked it up. If this was in SA the SA Health wouldn’t cooperate if there were any charges to be laid.

Edit - and I am very impressed by Prem Andrews classy response.

 

[antycbr]

Seems very strange that two people could get off an international flight and continue on their journey. I think there has to be more to this story. Departing a plane is like sheep through a raceway. There's no way of avoiding whatever process awaits.
The only possible way would be if they were processed and corralled but then absconded, possibly due to confusion rather than evil intent. Definitely seems like a failing in the system.

Unless they made a break for it across the tarmac out the aerobridge door at international, and avoided movements on 16R/34L and two taxiways, and then broke into airside of T2...

Anything to avoid the "seamless transfer bus"