Cairns quarantine hotel damage complaint

A Cairns resident who undertook home quarantine only to be told that she had to go into a hotel has complained about an unsafe balcony rail. Police have charged a woman with wilful damage. She denies the charge.

• Queensland residents to quarantine at home

A CAIRNS woman who said she has been wrongly forced into hotel quarantine has claimed the adjoining balcony at her Pacific Hotel room is unsafe.

But Queensland Police said on Thursday they had charged a woman with wilful damage in relation to a balcony railing at the hotel. The woman denies the charge.

Leanne Howard has been in quarantine at Pacific Hotel in Cairns since October 1, after what she said was confusion with her border pass.

She had previously been in quarantine at her Redlynch home, undergoing several Covid tests, all of which returned negative results.

A woman staying in hotel quarantine claimed a balcony rail was unsafe after she leaned on it and came apart. Queensland Police have charged a woman with wilful damage.

She said the quarantine hotel was not fit for purpose as the balcony rail broke several days ago.

“The pop rivet on the balcony rail broke and gave way four days ago, although I reported it no one from the hotel, Queensland Health or Queensland Police has been here to check,” she said.

“Queensland Health is putting us in danger by placing us in a building not up to OH&S standards.”

Ms Howard said the confusion occurred when she travelled to Tweed Heads to collect items on September 23 and 24, when despite possessing the appropriate documentation, confusion emerged about where she should quarantine.

After she flew to Cairns on September 24, Ms Howard then self quarantined at home and said she had undertaken several Covid tests, all of which have been negative.

Ms Howard said the announcement that stranded Queenslanders will be quarantining at home before December was cold comfort after a nightmare time involving border pass confusion.

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“If I could speak with the Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young, I would tell her that I am disgusted and appalled,” she said.

“Queensland Government is not looking after any of us; we are caged up like an animal.

“I am speaking up not just for myself but for every other person in hotel quarantine here.”

But not all those in quarantine are complaining.

When Cairns resident Tony Moore, 54, flew to Sydney in August to farewell his dying father, it was a different story.

Despite being vaccinated, due to lockdown he had to spend six weeks in Sydney after his father’s funeral.

Mr Moore was released from two-week mandatory quarantine on Tuesday.

“When I flew into Cairns, police met me and took me to the Pacific Hotel,” he said.

“The staff and the room were lovely and the food terrific.”

Queensland Police, Queensland Health and Pacific Hotel Cairns were contacted for comment.

Originally published as Cairns quarantine hotel damage complaint