Australian man James Turbitt in hotel quarantine denied exemption to visit dying mother

An Aussie who was denied an exemption to visit his dying mother while he was stuck in hotel quarantine has gone on a hunger strike.

An Australian man has slammed the nation’s quarantine system after he was denied the chance to say goodbye to his dying mother while he was stuck in a Melbourne hotel.

James Turbitt, an Aussie citizen who had been living in Antwerp, Belgium, flew into Melbourne last Friday after rushing home to be by his sick mum’s bedside in Perth.

Mr Turbitt was forced to fly into Melbourne after no flights were available direct to Perth and told News Corp he was denied an exemption from Victorian health authorities to board an interstate flight.

He said even if he was granted an exemption to visit his mother, he would not be allowed to drive and would have to take a charter flight, costing tens of thousands of dollars.

James Turbitt rushed to Australia on a flight from Beligum last Friday with the hope of seeing his dying mother in hospital. Picture: Supplied

Sadly, Mr Turbitt’s mother passed away at a Perth Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning while he was confined to quarantine inside Melbourne’s Stamford Plaza.

Mr Turbitt has now vowed to undertake a hunger strike, arguing that the quarantine system was “inhumane”.

“When I got to the hotel I said ‘I’m not eating because I need someone to listen to me’,” he told News Corp.

“No one else should have to go through this. I know it’s not the best thing to do, but it’s immoral, it’s inhumane.

“She was a lovely, caring, compassionate lady, she was a nurse herself, we spoke everyday.”

He said he had not eaten anything since Saturday afternoon.

Under current quarantine rules, applications for hotel quarantine exemptions on medical or compassionate grounds should be submitted to the relevant state or territory who will consider requests on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Turbitt said he was denied an exemption from WA Health to skip hotel quarantine in Melbourne, despite providing a letter from doctors confirming his mother’s ill health.

James Turbitt hotel quarantine room in Melbourne, where he was stuck while his mother passed away in a Perth hospital.

“I’m sitting here by myself, I can’t take a domestic plane there, they won’t let me drive there, I don’t have $50,000 for a charter flight, my sister can’t even think about a funeral right now and I can’t even afford to get there if I was allowed,” Mr Turbitt said.

“I just feel really let down by my own country. I truly believed when I left Brussels that I was going to be able to see my mum, I’m an Aussie citizen, they should be here to help me in times of need.

“They say they give out passionate exemptions, but they make it impossible to get them.

“Miranda Kerr, Zac Efron, they got hotel exemptions to quarantine at their own villas and I’m stuck here and my mum died.”

The Victorian health department and COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said they worked hard to facilitate compassionate visits, but required the approval of other states before granting an exemption in cases where interstate transit was involved.

Victoria is yet to receive approval from WA Health to grant the exemption.