Families ‘denied basic human right of fresh air’ in hotel quarantine

More families have come forward with stories of their hotel quarantine rooms full of dust and mould and “inedible” food, with some calling for a “thorough independent investigation”.

A mother and her young daughter say they have been denied the basic human right of fresh air since arriving in Brisbane to complete their mandatory 14-days in hotel quarantine.

Lisa Turner and her eight-year-old daughter were placed into hotel quarantine in Brisbane’s Amora Hotel on Tuesday and currently have no access to fresh air other than a “dusty vent”.

Ms Turner said the pair have been waiting since September 9 for their application to be approved and said this current situation “is already seriously affecting our health”.

“The vents in our room are full of dust … we cannot be deprived of access to fresh air for 14 days,” Ms Turner said.

The room Lisa Turner and her eight-year-old daughter are completing their mandatory 14-days in quarantine at Brisbane's Amora Hotel.

Ms Turner said their Hervey Bay home is freestanding and in a “small country town of 2000 people with large blocks of land.”

She is double-vaxxed and said the pair would be able to “safely” home quarantine if required.

“My parents have also offered to allow me to quarantine in their home on the Sunshine Coast.

“We have already been homeless for 10 weeks … we are financially very low and the safest option would be for us to drive directly to our own free standing residence,” she said.

Mr Turner said the hotel room is “obviously only used to one person per room.”

Dusty vents are the only source of “fresh air” at Brisbane's Amora Hotel.

“On arrival there was only one snack bag for the two of us and this morning there was only one breakfast. When I called reception it took until the fourth call (3 calls ringing out) to inform them.”

Sharnie Morris and her partner are also completing their mandatory 14-days at the Amora hotel and said they believe a “thorough independent investigation” needs to be conducted into the facility.

“Mine and my partner’s mental health has been severely affected by the conditions and we do not feel heard when expressing this to the hotel. I really don’t know how I can do another eight days of no fresh air and my health not being taken seriously,” Ms Morris said.

Ms Morris, who is an asthmatic, said the pair have been put in a room with windows they are “unable to open and vents that are filthy”.

She has also been relying on her inhaler much more than she would under “normal circumstances.”

“I contacted the hotel front desk and asked if it was possible to have an air purifier to help my asthma and was told this would not be possible as they had limited supply and reserved them for rooms of 4+ people.

Ms Morris said the shower and bath both have mould and the food is “inedible”.

“We have spent about $400 on Woolworths and Uber eats deliveries in the first 5 days of our quarantine because of this and when ordering Uber eats it takes the hotel staff up to an hour to deliver the food meaning it is usually cold and soggy.

“I am also aware of another room on our floor having bedbugs and the staff refusing to let them change rooms,” she said.

The vent in Breanna Thorogood’s room at the Amora Hotel in Brisbane.

Breanna Thorogood has also been staying at the Amora Hotel since October 30 with her partner and two children aged three and five.

“When we arrived here we let the team know that my daughter and I suffer from asthma and that we would like a room with a balcony and also a family room as there is four of us,

“We were told we would be put into a single room with two double beds and no balcony unless we paid the price for two rooms and we have to put in a request to change rooms after we get our day five test results back,” she said.

Ms Thorogood said her three-year-old daughter normally only uses her asthma puffer when sick but “since being here she has been using it 3-4 times a day”.

Breanna Thorogood’s room at the Amora Hotel in Brisbane

“As soon as I arrived I realised our vent in our bathroom wasn’t working so I contacted the reception and was told someone will contact you I have tried several times and no one has done anything about it, whilst looking at the vents realising it didn’t work I realised the state that the entire bathroom was in, it was appalling,

“I was then playing with the kids when I realised the curtains have mould on the bottom which isn’t good for anyone yet alone my three- year-old daughter who suffers from asthma,” she said.

Ms Thorgood said her daughter has also been forced to sleep on the hotel couch every night because she does not have her own bed.

According to the Queensland Human Rights Commission “at a minimum” international law and guidance supports a right of people to daily access to fresh air.

The statement reads “if the government decides to limit this right, as per the current hotel quarantine framework, then it needs to justify the limitation.”

A Queensland Health spokeswoman confirmed the department had been in contact with the family and the hotel to discuss any concerns.

“Queensland has a comprehensive hotel quarantine system, with a number of protections in place to support the safety and wellbeing of staff and guests…,” she said.

She said “we know quarantine is hard, but it is necessary to protect Queenslanders.”

“Due to the progression of COVID-19 we know that persons are most infectious before they exhibit symptoms and as such fresh air breaks represent a significant gap in quarantine where persons may be exposed to the virus, even if appropriate precautions are implemented,

“Therefore, fresh air breaks are only allowed in exceptional circumstances due to the potential risk of transmission of COVID-19 in communal areas, mingling of people who are potentially infectious and the other public health considerations. This has been the case for nearly a year,” she said.

The spokeswoman said all quarantine hotels are aware of their requirements regarding meals, amenities and other necessities and that the government works with quarantine providers to ensure they are “meeting expectations”.

“If guests have any issues with the room’s condition, facilities or meals, they are encouraged to contact the hotel’s management to address the matter.”

Brisbane’s Amora Hotel has been contacted for a response.

Originally published as Families ‘denied basic human right of fresh air’ in hotel quarantine