Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Pushka]

So the NSW Police officer was only second day on the job and they have admitted he made an error due to a language barrier and perhaps not knowing the rules correctly. Seems like a massive botch job

So were they Australian citizens or permanent residents then if language was the issue and coming from Germany (where everyone is taught English even if they deign not to use it)

 

[Flying mermaid]

So were they Australian citizens or permanent residents then if language was the issue and coming from Germany (where everyone is taught English even if they deign not to use it)

The latest reports I am seeing are calling them “German Nationals”. So don’t know - possibly allowed to travel to Australia for a specific purpose but not qualified for an exemption? And managed to confuse a policeman and travel to Melbourne, creating inconvenience (if not worse), for a large number of people now needing to isolate. While being charitable they might have been confused about the rules and I am sure will say so, but it smacks a bit of entitled behaviour.

 

[NZflygirl]

So the NSW Police officer was only second day on the job and they have admitted he made an error due to a language barrier and perhaps not knowing the rules correctly. Seems like a massive botch job.

Nine news said police didn’t check exemption documentation or properly? So travellers knew HQ was a thing (given they apparently discussed exemptions in their conversation with police) but didn’t go through Australian channels for exemption? Easy to find the NSW link to exemption applications.

I’m also confused, if travelers can fly domestically with exemptions after international travel, why quarantine this entire flight when those with exemptions are allowed to travel domestically?

 

[Pushka]

Nine news said police didn’t check exemption documentation or properly? So travellers knew HQ was a thing (given they apparently discussed exemptions in their conversation with police) but didn’t go through Australian channels for exemption? Easy to find the NSW link to exemption applications.

I’m also confused, if travelers can fly domestically with exemptions after international travel, why quarantine this entire flight when those with exemptions are allowed to travel domestically?

So many holes in this story especially your last statement about exempted people being allowed to travel further on domestic flights. Since when? Hopefully the spotlight will be brought to bear on potentially significant gaps in security.

If their test is negative tomorrow then the plane passengers will be released from further quarantine.

It seems like they were looking for quarantine in Melbourne after their domestic flight because that makes a lot of sense, apparently, to them.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

So were they Australian citizens or permanent residents then if language was the issue and coming from Germany (where everyone is taught English even if they deign not to use it)

Not all Germans speak English. At our Croatian B&B last year there was a couple from Germany who could not speak english.

And they were friendly as we had a conversation of sorts with our hosts translating and we knew a little French.

Plus in our travels through Germany and Austria out in the more rural parts many did not speak english.

 

[NZflygirl]

So many holes in this story especially your last statement about exempted people being allowed to travel further on domestic flights. Since when? Hopefully the spotlight will be brought to bear on potentially significant gaps in security.

If their test is negative tomorrow then the plane passengers will be released from further quarantine.

It seems like they were looking for quarantine in Melbourne after their domestic flight because that makes a lot of sense, apparently, to them.

9 news update mentioned some categories. Eg paraplegic, health reasons, unaccompanied minors.
Haven’t really heard anything about these people in the past. There was the diplomat exemption but I thought that loophole was closed to domestic flights. There was the case from Kabul earlier that flew from Sydney so QLD closed that loophole. I’m assuming the other states/territories followed suit? But if these people have been allowed to fly with exemptions they must have tested negative at their destinations? Don’t recall any alerts in the last few months. The officer called about the process for getting them to the domestic terminal so that’s obviously in place for exemptions.

 

[Pushka]

Not all Germans speak English. Out our Croatian B&B last year there was a couple from Germany who could not speak a work of english.

And they were friendly as we had a conversation of sorts with our hosts translating and we knew a little French.

Plus in our travels through Germany and Austria out in the more rural parts many did not speak english.

I'd suggest they would be an exception then.

Additionally your contacts werent travelling to Australia and your last statement about being in rural Germany (not talking of Austria and never mentioned Austria) were not travelling internationally and certainly not when travel to Australia is essentially banned; I'm going to make the assumption that likely anyone travelling to Australia in Covid times and therefore has been granted an exemption to come here when really no one else can, has already made elaborate arrangements to get that approval and those arrangements would not be done in German.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I'm always slow to attribute malice to actions that could also be a genuine mistake.
However you look at it though, the security arrangements were obviously flawed. Absconding shouldn't have been possible, intentional or not.

Yes. May have been not intentional on their part.

But in SYD international and domestic terminals are a long distance apart and require transfers and so there must have been some significant failures in the systems in SYD.

Also once mixed with Covid possible people no-one should be just allowed to walk out.

 

[NZflygirl]

Yes. May have been not intentional on there part.

But in SYD international and domestic terminals are a long distance apart and require transfers and so there must have been some significant failures in the systems in SYD.

Also once mixed with Covid possible people no-one should be just allowed to walk out.

Police escorted them between terminals as per the exemption process.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

"When you consider there are two people out of 100,000 passengers since March this year in this operation it really is outstanding," he said.

Well the 2 were identified as they flew on to Vic where they were questioned on landing. If they had of instead just walked out to a Sydney destination no one would yet know. So this could have happened before.


"It has been confirmed that the young boy and the woman have proved negative to COVID."

Luckily.


"When you consider there are two people out of 100,000 passengers since March this year in this operation it really is outstanding," he said.
"It has been confirmed that the young boy and the woman have proved negative to COVID."

 

[nutwood]

How can they have "proved" negative to COVID?! There's room for concern here, given how many quarantined passengers seem to test positive on day 12. Are international travellers landing here carrying COVID or are they picking it up in the quarantine system? "Proved" suggests they are quite comfortable that these passengers are not carrying COVID.

 

[Pushka]

How can they have "proved" negative to COVID?! There's room for concern here, given how many quarantined passengers seem to test positive on day 12. Are international travellers landing here carrying COVID or are they picking it up in the quarantine system? "Proved" suggests they are quite comfortable that these passengers are not carrying COVID.

My understanding. If they hadnt developed Covid at the time of their flight then they wont be infectious until the day before they test positive. If they dont test positive three days after their flight then they werent infectious on that flight and that would be a great thing. If they later test positive then they would be in quarantine when they were infectious.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

How can they have "proved" negative to COVID?! There's room for concern here, given how many quarantined passengers seem to test positive on day 12. Are international travellers landing here carrying COVID or are they picking it up in the quarantine system? "Proved" suggests they are quite comfortable that these passengers are not carrying COVID.

They tested negative today. They will be tested again tomorrow.

 

[nutwood]

So were they Australian citizens or permanent residents then if language was the issue and coming from Germany (where everyone is taught English even if they deign not to use it)

In Australia, everyone is taught maths at school but there's still plenty who can't make change without electronic assistance!
I'm regularly confused with COVID what and where in airports. It changes constantly and the people administering it frequently appear bemused. I navigate it utilising my first language, a sense of humour and a masters in cynicism. I'm quite comfortable in arguing that the German travellers did not intentionally transgress.

Post automatically merged: Dec 6, 2020

They tested negative today. They will be tested again tomorrow.

An alternative use of the word "proved"?

 

[jase05]

So they arrived on NH from Tokyo?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

In Australia, everyone is taught maths at school but there's still plenty who can't make change without electronic assistance!
I'm regularly confused with COVID what and where in airports. It changes constantly and the people administering it frequently appear bemused. I navigate it utilising my first language, a sense of humour and a masters in cynicism. I'm quite comfortable in arguing that the German travellers did not intentionally transgress.

Post automatically merged: Dec 6, 2020

An alternative use of the word "proved"?

Well it was their quote and not mine

As far as I am aware after transmission people can take upto two weeks to test positive (most people with 10 days) and in NZ there was one case of a person who was released from 14 day quarantine (tested twice) who then tested positive.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Could have been confusion rather than deliberate. A report now says they were picked up as they looked lost and when the security attendant asked if he could help, they asked for directions to quarantine!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Could have been confusion rather than deliberate. A report now says they were picked up as they looked lost and when the security attendant asked if he could help, they asked for directions to quarantine!

How does one get "lost". Surely they have staff directly all passengers? Maybe not by the sound of it.

 

[jakeseven7]

How does one get "lost". Surely they have staff directly all passengers? Maybe not by the sound of it.

Wonder if WA will use this blunder against NSW to keep their borders shut to them... announcement tomorrow....

 

[Flying mermaid]

How does one get "lost". Surely they have staff directly all passengers? Maybe not by the sound of it.

This is in Melbourne - they were walking out of the domestic terminal, looking lost. Security attendant asked if he could help them and they said they were looking for quarantine!