A planeload of up to 150 people has touched down in Perth from India, becoming the first to arrive in WA since the Australian government lifted a travel ban between the two countries.
Key points:
- Those who arrived on the flight must spend 14 days in hotel quarantine
- Other repatriation flights have landed in Darwin but this is the first in WA
- It comes after another case of COVID transmission in WA hotel quarantine
The ban was introduced as India grappled with an outbreak of a highly transmissible strain of COVID-19, leading to mass sickness and deaths.
The repatriation flight is the first to come to Western Australia, but others have already landed in the Northern Territory with travellers sent to quarantine at the Howard Springs facility.
The arrivals to WA will need to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine before they can enter the community.
ABC Perth: Kate Leaver
)WA Premier Mark McGowan said the passengers were being taken to the Westin Hotel in Perth's CBD.
"The Westin Hotel is prepared for it, and there has been appropriate security and other transport arrangements with the right health measures put around the passengers arriving from India," he said.
ABC News: West Matteussen
)The WA government has been under increasing pressure over its hotel quarantine system, following revelations of yet another case of transmission at the Pan Pacific Perth hotel.
Genomic testing yesterday confirmed a man caught the virus from another guest in a nearby room.
Other travellers staying on the same floor had already been released into the community after the transmission was confirmed, but the state government said they had all tested negative and were being monitored for symptoms.
WA recorded no new cases of COVID-19 in hotel quarantine overnight.
Exmouth, Busselton touted for quarantine
Mr McGowan today touted other "obvious" alternatives to hotel quarantine, such Commonwealth-run facilities in regional WA, but said there were currently no plans to progress them.
"Unless the Commonwealth wants to go and build something in Exmouth or Busselton next to a major international airport, unless they want to open Christmas Island to international arrivals, there's [no] easy alternatives.
"I know everyone thinks there is but there isn't. [And] if we were to open another facility somewhere, the same issues could arise.
"So the best solution is obviously the Commonwealth using a remote location for these purposes, next to an international airport, but so far they have steadfastly refused to do so."
Mr McGowan said there were currently no plans for such an alternative.
"I'm just making an obvious point," he said.
"There are airports there that have international capacity, and that would obviously make some sense to put a facility next to an international-capacity airport.
"We have one at Exmouth, we have one at Busselton, there's obviously Christmas Island, there's Pearce Airbase, there's those sorts of places that are outside of the very heavily populated inner city of Perth, but the Commonwealth shows no appetite."
What you need to know about coronavirus:
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA2LTAyL2luZGlhLWNvdmlkLXJlcGF0cmlhdGlvbi1mbGlnaHQtYXJyaXZlcy1pbi1wZXJ0aC8xMDAxODM3OTbSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAwMTgzNzk2?oc=5
2021-06-02 00:32:17Z
52781638343267
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "First India repatriation flight to WA arrives in Perth since coronavirus travel ban lifted - ABC News"
Post a Comment