Boarders isolated by borders plea for compassion
The latest fallout from Queensland’s hardline border restrictions has been labelled “worse than the soul-destroying drought” by heartbroken families. And they want the government to do something about it.
QLD Coronavirus News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Coronavirus News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In a heart-wrenching, desperate action, dozens of parents from rural NSW are tearfully sharing stories of anxiety and heartache about being separated from their children at Queensland boarding schools for months, begging Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to show compassion to relax border restrictions to COVID-free towns.
Students, families in heartbreaking plea: Let us see each other
‘Time to use masks’ as COVID-19 cluster expected to grow
Coronavirus Qld: Link found to bring together clusters
They say the separation and isolation of regional border towns will spring a mental health crisis, saying it has been “worse than the soul-destroying drought”.
It comes as the Federal Government lashes out at the “confusion and cruelty” of arbitrary border restrictions, piling on pressure for a national hotspot definition.
The death on an unborn baby girl from Ballina on Friday has created a flashpoint, with an angry Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging premiers to get behind national definition.
But a defiant Premier has backed her hardline border closures, claiming without them the state would be in the same situation as Victoria.
Fears for students over border closure
Boarding school students face mental health, academic challenges with extended border closure
The Courier-Mail has been inundated with dozens of families from northern NSW, outside the border bubble, penning open letters for Ms Palaszczuk pleading with her to think of a solution for them so they can see their kids.
While families within the border zone have been granted exemptions to travel for school activity, those on the wrong side of the bubble face 14 days in quarantine or the uncertainty of exemption applications.
A spokesman for the Premier said the Chief Health Officer was providing exemptions for some boarding school families and was continuing to meet with family representatives.
“For example, exemptions were recently granted to children travelling from Moree (outside the bubble) from needing to quarantine,” he said.
Warialda mother Wendy Mayne, whose three children are in Gold Coast boarding schools, said missing her kids has been worse than suffering through “shattering” drought.
“As a mother it’s terrible, it’s gut-wrenching and I think the mental health of the children would be a big issue and it’s something maybe they have overlooked,” she said.
“It will be a problem for these children if they can’t go home.”
Amanda Barwick, who lives in the same town, is one of the lead motivators in getting families to share their stories and hope for change.
“Where I live is probably the safest place on the planet. We go days and days I don’t see anyone but my husband and kids. In our local area there have been no cases of COVID, we’re really safe, the kids are safer where we are,” she said.
“We’ve been through two years of drought and it was soul destroying, when I think about it, it makes me want to cry, but people who are ringing me are people who are really strong saying it’s going to be months before they see their 13-year-old or kids younger.”
Other families are urging people to share their own stories by filming videos to show how safe their rural locations are, including Annabelle and Ben Monie who have two kids boarding at the Gold Coast.
“We’re appealing I guess not only to Ms Palaszczuk and Dr Young the Queensland Chief Health Officer, but also to Queenslanders to I guess support our plight,” Ms Monie said.
The issue of a national hotspot definition will be raised in what is expected to be an emotionally-charged National Cabinet on Friday.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg demanded more compassion and commonsense around border restrictions.
“There’s too much confusion and ultimately too much confusion in the way borders have been closed,” he said.
“It’s just inexplicable that a mother can lose their child (potentially) because of confusion as to how they can access a hospital in Brisbane,” he said, referring to the Ballina family.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had not seen any proposal from Mr Morrison with regards to a hotspot definition.
“I’ll have a look at the proposal but let me make it very clear, we will do every big thing we can to protect Queenslanders,” she said.
“The closure of our borders have been one of the most effective measures we have in combating this virus.
“I’m not going to put Queenslanders at risk.”
