Two travellers charged after escaping hotel quarantine in WA

By Christian Fleetwood

WA Police have charged two travellers after they flew into Perth without permission and allegedly escaped hotel quarantine to attend a party.

Police said the two travellers, a 19-year-old from Queensland and a 22-year-old from South Australia, had arrived in Perth from Adelaide with a man on Monday night and were taken to a CBD hotel until return flights could be arranged.

According to ABC News, the pair allegedly left the Novotel on Murray Street around 1:30am despite attempts from hotel security to stop them.

It was alleged the pair then caught a taxi to a unit block in Coolbellup in Perth’s south, where they met with reported “associates” for a party, with police tracking them to the address by their mobile phones.

The pair were reportedly arrested on Monday morning, and were charged with failing to comply with a direction under WA’s Emergency Management Act.

According to ABC News, the travellers faced the Perth Magistrates Court by telephone link yesterday afternoon, where the court was told that when police called one of the pair, they laughed and hung up the phone.

The police prosecutor reportedly said the pair had actively avoided officers and put “everyone’s welfare at risk”.

When the 22-year-old from South Australia heard she would not be able to return home immediately she reportedly cried, saying she had a daughter in Adelaide and wanted to go see her.

The case was adjourned with both women due to reappear in court Tuesday.

Speaking to the press, acting Police Commissioner Gary Dreibergs said the women had not been tested for COVID-19 as the state does not test arrivals from South Australia.

He said the police had been advised by the Health Department that the pair did not pose “a significant health risk”.

“It’s very disappointing, it’s a very serious matter,” he said. “We established hotel quarantine to assist our community.

“It isn’t there for detention and when people breach hotel quarantine it really does rock the trust of our organisation.”

Featured image: Novotel Perth Murray Street (source: Accor Hotels)

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domestic travel hotel quarantine Novotel Perth Murray Street travellers Western Australia