Dannii Minogue avoids hotel coronavirus quarantine to stay in private Gold Coast home
Queensland’s Chief Medical Officer has denied television identity Dannii Minogue has received any special treatment to escape hotel quarantine and explained why she will be able to stay in a private mansion.
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QUEENSLAND’S top doctor has denied that reality television star Dannii Minogue was given special treatment to bypass hotel quarantine.
The singer and TV identity touched down on the Gold Coast over the weekend after flying in from the United States, where more than 137,000 people have died from COVID-19.
It was understood she received an exemption on the basis of a medical certificate issued by her doctor.
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But Queensland’s chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young this morning denied Minogue received any special treatment.
“ ... the default arrangement in Queensland is if you don’t have a COVID-safe plan or an industry plan or an exemption to hotel quarantine, then you go into hotel quarantine,” she said.
“She has a COVID-safe plan which is being managed by an independent third party. That’s the reason that she got that exemption.
“There are a number of people who have come under that category I’ve given an exemption to because they have third party arrangements in place, that I’m confident meet all the requirements that we have in place for hotel quarantine.
“I provide exemptions because I’m confident the process put in place will adequately protect the Queensland community if any of the people who are in quarantine were to be positive.”
Dr Young said there were different groups that were granted exemptions to quarantine outside of a hotel, including consular officials, ADF personnel, people who work in the oil and gas industry and in the film and entertainment industry.
She said she had granted 38 exemptions to people who didn’t have to quarantine in a hotel because they had COVID-safe plans.
However those people do have to quarantine elsewhere.
She said she does not give generally exemptions on health grounds, and has only provided “a few” due to ”extreme mental health risks”.
Dr Young said there was no special treatment for anyone and that Ms Minogue’s plan was being managed by an independent third party.
Ms Minogue is believed to be isolating at a private property on the Gold Coast.
Avoiding a hotel quarantine would allow her to escape the $2800 bill for hotel accommodation that all returning travellers have to pay under current Queensland quarantine laws.
When asked about the singer’s isolation, a Queensland Health spokesperson last night said they “cannot comment on individuals” and went onto state that the department “has strong arrangements in place whether people are quarantining inside or outside hotels.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk brought an end to the Government footing the hotel quarantine bill mid-June, with a statement on the State Government’s website declaring it had spent $19 million accommodating international arrivals.
Returning travellers also aren’t able to arrange to self-quarantine at home or at another pre-booked accommodation.
Minogue, 48, is slated to return as a judge on Channel 10’s The Masked Singer later this year.