All international travelers will be quarantined in hotels or designated facilities

[seanpodge]

The hotels around Australia were mostly empty so I am hoping the Federal Government is getting a good deal. Christmas Island would be expensive per person compared with 5 star, 4 star , 3 star, 2 star hotels.
Latecomers from Bali who went there after the Government said don’t go there could get tentland.

The other issue with Christmas Island (which is why the government should not have sent the people from Wuhan there) is that it has very rudimentary medical facilities to the point that pregnant women have to fly to Perth at 8 months to give birth. If any of those passengers had COVID-19, they would have in all likely hood been transported to the mainland to get treatment in an appropriate hospital at both great expense and risk to flight crew.

It's hard not to be a bit cynical about the choice of Christmas Island when it's not on offer now and the government took so long to block arrivals from the US and other countries that the the source of many cases in Australia.

 

[Himeno]

Spanish Flu as well originated from China, but since it was a long time ago, no way of knowing if that was from "wet markets" as well.

They don't know where H1N1/1918 came from. There are a number of theories about the source including Northern China, Kansas, Austria and Étaples.

 

[Spongbob]

Other than the NT (OK not a state), where returning residents also get mandatory hotel quarantine - but at their own expense (c. $2k)

So if you are pay for your own mandatory hotel quarantine, do you have a choice of rooms, get upgrades and loyalty rewards?

 

[drron]

You do get a choice of food-you have to order and pay for it yourself.

 

[JohnK]

They were, John; that's when I cancelled ours, several weeks ago. Not that I was going to Thailand, or Siam as it was once far more melodiously termed.

Were they offering refunds early on in this crisis? e.g. were people able to cancel free of charge from end of January?

I'm still stunned that Ruby Princess was allowed to cruise twice from end of February early March. How many infections and deaths have those 2 sailings caused?

 

[Spongbob]

I'm still stunned that Ruby Princess was allowed to cruise twice from end of February early March. How many infections and deaths have those 2 sailings caused?

This was about the same time period when the PM and others were saying it was still OK to attend NRL games, and sit next to thousands of strangers.

 

[Pushka]

This was about the same time period when the PM and others were saying it was still OK to attend NRL games, and sit next to thousands of strangers.

In reality, TI and cancellations without penalty for OS travel only kicked in at Level 4 except for China, Korea and then Iran and Italy which started much earlier.

However, cruises should have been cancelled in early March. Especially those like Ruby where 1/3 of the passengers were from overseas and who arrived shortly before. What could possibly go wrong. Oh yeah. That's right.

 

[Pushka]

The people from India arriving into Adelaide have commented how happy they are to be back in Australia and are very pleased with the accommodation. Families have been given two bedrooms, some have a balcony and Indian chefs have been called in to supply meals. That will make the closed Indian restaurants happy, I'm thinking Jasmin and Taj Tandoor might get the gig.

 

[trevorc8]

Anybody know which hotels in Melbourne (other than Crown Promenade and Travelodge Southbank) are being used for quarantine?

And now that the curve seems to be under control, anybody heard anything about whether mandatory hotel quarantine will be discontinued?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Anybody know which hotels in Melbourne (other than Crown Promenade and Travelodge Southbank) are being used for quarantine?

And now that the curve seems to be under control, anybody heard anything about whether mandatory hotel quarantine will be discontinued?

Hotel quarantine is mainly for people coming in from overseas where Covid 19 is most definitely not under control. Hotel quarantine for those states that require it for interstate travellers will most likely only removed once they remove their border restrictions.

So I doubt that hotel quarantine will be disappearing any time soon, and it does it will mean that dedicated quarantine stations have been opened instead (ie Once local and interstate travel resumes and hotels can be stayed in again hotels will want to re-open for that market. Though without international visitors in mass and conferences hotel volumes will remain suppressed).

 

[Pushka]

And now that the curve seems to be under control, anybody heard anything about whether mandatory hotel quarantine will be discontinued?

It’s only under control in Australia because we closed the borders and put in quarantine for returning ‘Aussies’. It is pretty much out of control elsewhere with a few exceptions.

 

[drron]

Queensland wants to start charging for mandatory quarantine though NSW and Victoria say they are not going down the path at present.

National cabinet to consider charging travellers for hotel quarantine

State governments are considering making Australians returning from overseas pay for their own hotel quarantine after forking out millions of dollars.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

 

[flydoc]

Queensland wants to start charging for mandatory quarantine though NSW and Victoria say they are not going down the path at present.

National cabinet to consider charging travellers for hotel quarantine

State governments are considering making Australians returning from overseas pay for their own hotel quarantine after forking out millions of dollars.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

And in contrast - for the past couple of months the NT has been charging returning residents $2500 for their 2 week stay in a government-chosen hotel, but is reverting to a home quarantine option from next week....

Jurisdictional variation: context-specific or dogs breakfast?

 

[PineappleSkip]

As usual, a dogs’ breakfast.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Context specific. People only get confused where they seek to find that confusion. A person in NSW doesn’t need to be concerned with the arrangements in another state. If you want to fly in to sydney, it doesn’t matter that melbourne isn’t charging.

 

[Gremlin]

Queensland wants to start charging for mandatory quarantine though NSW and Victoria say they are not going down the path at present.

National cabinet to consider charging travellers for hotel quarantine

State governments are considering making Australians returning from overseas pay for their own hotel quarantine after forking out millions of dollars.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

I don't have a problem with that. It's a significant cost for those of us in the community and those who have wanted to come back have now had the opportunity to do so.

Quarantine is going to be part of international travel for a long time coming (not all destinations) and it is now a cost of travelling. At some point 'User Pays' has to make sense.

 

[Gremlin]

Context specific. People only get confused where they seek to find that confusion. A person in NSW doesn’t need to be concerned with the arrangements in another state. If you want to fly in to sydney, it doesn’t matter that melbourne isn’t charging.

I think there has to be some consistency in quarantine conditions until regular international services resume. For example, if you're trying to get from KL to Australia this month it looks like you have the choice of one commercial flight. Not one commercial flight a day or week to your preferred destination, but one commercial flight. Malaysia Airlines is flying one flight to MEL on the 19th. That's it. So if you want to fly into SYD in this case it does matter because you can only get to MEL.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think there has to be some consistency in quarantine conditions until regular international services resume. For example, if you're trying to get from KL to Australia this month it looks like you have the choice of one commercial flight. Not one commercial flight a day or week to your preferred destination, but one commercial flight. Malaysia Airlines is flying one flight to MEL on the 19th. That's it. So if you want to fly into SYD in this case it does matter because you can only get to MEL.

I agree on that, but my point was not that there are different regimes (there clearly are), but that what is happening in one state is irrelevant to what is happening in another. For example, if NT is charging passengers for their quarantine, it matters not that Victoria is footing the bill for people returning there. It is what it is... if you wanna fly to NT, you pay. If your airline doesn’t fly to SYD, but you have to fly to MEL and pay for quarantine... that’s just the way it is. It doesn’t matter if SYD’s quarantine if free.

Throughout the whole CV-19 people have been so busy comparing what is happening elsewhere, creating their own confusion when there needn’t be.

 

[dajop]

Why on earth can't we look at HK style ... testing + wrist bands or anklets? Surely this might be more sustainable than quarantines.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Why on earth can't we look at HK style ... testing + wrist bands or anklets? Surely this might be more sustainable than quarantines.

What are the costs? What infrastructure is needed? How many people will breach? How much does it cost to send out police to each of those who breach?

I guess if this goes long term it might be viable.