Hotel quarantine experience when returning to Australia

[dajop]

eing fully vaccinated will allow us to quarantine at home. Hope has been dashed with news that some fully vaccinated arrivals got infected, so impossible for the government to consider home quarantine. No alternative to jail hotel quarantine

The time has to come when infections in vaccinated people does not equate with serious illness and widespread infectivity if that’s what the UK evidence shows.

Yes, whether fully vaccinated people get infected is not really the problem, It is how infective they are that is the critical point of data in terms of allowing people to quarantine at home or arrive without quarantining. If infected vaccinated people have low viral loads, what is the chance of transmitting to the unvaccinated? This is surely the piece of information that everyone is waiting on, and keeping their fingers crossed for a positive outcome.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Yes, whether fully vaccinated people get infected is not really the problem, It is how infective they are that is the critical point of data in terms of allowing people to quarantine at home or arrive without quarantining. If infected vaccinated people have low viral loads, what is the chance of transmitting to the unvaccinated? This is surely the piece of information that everyone is waiting on, and keeping their fingers crossed for a positive outcome.

I posted a similar article on another thread but there is definitely evidence accumulating that vaccination prevents transmission.
The Conversation

 

[Spongbob]

Given that hotel quarantine is (mostly) paid for by the individual, would you be entitled to a refund if you catch COVID while staying at the quarantine venue?

 

[jakeseven7]

Given that hotel quarantine is (mostly) paid for by the individual, would you be entitled to a refund if you catch COVID while staying at the quarantine venue?

They don't charge you in this case, no.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Left hand and right hand don’t talk to each other - they will of course charge you, then an infected guest will need to state their situation and get the public service oh sorry

 

[PineappleSkip]

Not sure how the other states are going but Qld is taking up to 12 weeks to issue an account, so plenty of time to get sick and quibble. I've been waiting 8 weeks so far.

Cheers skip

 

[Myrna]

Not sure how the other states are going but Qld is taking up to 12 weeks to issue an account, so plenty of time to get sick and quibble. I've been waiting 8 weeks so far.

Cheers skip

Will the NSW government be that slack?

 

[PineappleSkip]

Probably not: It's a tall slackness order.

 

[dajop]

Not surprising is it?

I know of elsewhere (not Australia ) that send you a link to pay before checkout, or you can pay the hotel directly when checking out!

 

[Ric]

They don't charge you in this case, no.

But can you sue them for endangering yourself?

 

[Ric]

Will the NSW government be that slack?

Nope. Checked out on April 12, receive quarantine invoice from [email protected] on April 20!!
Pretty efficient!

 

[Spongbob]

But can you sue them for endangering yourself?

This was going to be my next question. I assume the answer is yes, as there is a duty of care.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

But can you sue them for endangering yourself?

This was going to be my next question. I assume the answer is yes, as there is a duty of care.

One thing I've observed is COVID makes the world pretty perverse and some normal rules may not apply. For example, a State might say its impossible in a pandemic to have such a duty of care. We have heard of how many air vent tests and we still have seepage into HQ neighbours/staff.

 

[Seat0B]

This was going to be my next question. I assume the answer is yes, as there is a duty of care.

if I got COVID from another guest in HQ I would certainly be willing to be a test case on that.

Not having been in HQ, I don;t know if you sign some sort of waiver accepting this risk as a condition of HQ (and thus of being allowed back in), so maybe someone who has been in HQ could respond. I don;t know how legally binding that would actually be as they would still be expected to take reasonable care. Or there may be an argument of volenti non fit injuria - which basically means that a volunteer cannot be injured - so they would argue that you voluntarily went into quarantine and so accepted all the risks. Again, I would not be sure if that would stand up - it used to be applied so that ambos, police etc could not claim for shock at seeing accidents or footy players claim for game based injuries. I know there are a few lawyers on here who could give a better answer than mine!

 

[PineappleSkip]

There is nothing voluntary about Hotel Quarantine. You are formally directed to do it (in my case Police read out the direction, asked me if I understood, and gave me a copy). It's just like going to jail, you don't sign a waiver to say you accept the risks. You go to jail whether you accept the risk or not.

I've looked at all the bits of paper I got. Plenty of reminders you have to pay and a couple about the fee waiver process. Most of the minding your health stuff was about mental health and special needs.

cheers skip

 

[Seat0B]

There is nothing voluntary about Hotel Quarantine. You are formally directed to do it (in my case Police read out the direction, asked me if I understood, and gave me a copy). It's just like going to jail, you don't sign a waiver to say you accept the risks. You go to jail whether you accept the risk or not.

I've looked at all the bits of paper I got. Plenty of reminders you have to pay and a couple about the fee waiver process. Most of the minding your health stuff was about mental health and special needs.

cheers skip

Yes and there is some legal precedent that a higher duty of care is owed to vulnerable people, which typically includes people who are incarcerated, people with mental incapacities and children. So I personally reckon (in that unqualified way that I have ) that people who get COVID in quarantine would have a pretty good claim, especially as the genomics shows exactly who they caught it from. But again, I would defer to a proper lawyer giving an opinion....

 

[yohy?!]

Anyone have the exact calculation on quarantine timing for Brisbane - ie enter quarantine on May 31 (which is 'Day 0' apparently) does that mean check out on morning of June 14 is correct?

Did time in Sydney last year which works differently I think.

Thanks!

 

[dajop]

Anyone have the exact calculation on quarantine timing for Brisbane - ie enter quarantine on May 31 (which is 'Day 0' apparently) does that mean check out on morning of June 14 is correct?

Did time in Sydney last year which works differently I think.

Thanks!

This is Qld’s response to my query:

Under the Chief Health Officer's Quarantine for International Arrivals Direction, a person who is an international arrival, as defined in the Chief Health Officer's Quarantine for International Arrivals Direction and is entering Queensland from overseas must:

• quarantine in a nominated premises for 14 full days, commencing on the date of their arrival into Queensland

Secure quarantine will end on the 14th day after the Quarantine Direction was issued at 11.59pm.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Interesting, but not my experience. I'd landed in BNE at 22:30, entered the system - got my direction - just after 23:00 on 5 March, "checked in" to my room at 01:30 on 6 March - day 1, and could specify any checkout time from midnight on 19 March - day 14, so I could have stayed marginally under 13 x 24 hour periods if I wanted to, because of the quirks of my direction time and arrival time. It was all pukka, I got a release form signed by Qld Health and countersigned by the Police Sergeant at the Hotel. I queried the early release with Rydges and they said it works on room nights (which is no doubt what they charge Qld Health for). QPS escort you from your room to freedom, and you could nominate a checkout time in a half hour block from 00:00, with the last block being 11:30-12:00 - on Day 14. I was told to hang on to the checkout form, presumably because I wasn't kept in for 14 full 24 hour periods.

• quarantine in a nominated premises for 14 full days, commencing on the date of their arrival into Queensland

Secure quarantine will end on the 14th day after the Quarantine Direction was issued at 11.59pm.

These two points are irreconcilable - flights arrive all day and they hand out directions all day, so there is always a variance from 14 x 24 hour time periods. The last part would be consistent with my experience if it referred to 11:59 pm on the 13th day. So my guesstimate would be you could get a direction any time from 00:01 to 23:59 on day 0, but whatever the time of the direction you can checkout anytime from 00:01 on day 14. In most cases this would mean you get an early mark, and you could also squeeze a couple extra hours you have an early checkin and you wanted to get your $2,800 worth, and have a "late" checkout on the morning of departure.

BTW if you have an onward connection on day 14 Qld Health will pay your taxi fare to the airport, but everyone else is on their own after release.

Cheers skip

 

[Seat0B]

you can checkout anytime

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave