Coronavirus Australia: Concern over 'crazy' issue with hotel quarantine

Experts have called out a "crazy" oversight in the Australia's hotel quarantine system, with fears it could put the country at risk of a fresh outbreak.

Experts have called out a "crazy" oversight in the Australia's hotel quarantine system, with fears it could put the country at risk of a fresh outbreak.

 

 

 

There are growing calls for Australia to adopt a national surveillance system to oversee international arrivals, rather than having the system differ between each state and territory.

An epidemiologist form the University of South Australia, Professor Adrian Esterman, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the federal government should be overseeing border control and the quarantine program across the whole country.

"Protecting Australians should be their No.1 priority and they should be totally in charge of quarantine and they aren't," he said.

"They've said to each state and territory: 'No, you take care of it.' It's just crazy because we are seeing different states and territories with a different set regulations."

This comes just days after two returning German travellers managed to fly from Sydney to Melbourne without a stint in hotel quarantine first (the requirement for overseas returnees).

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