‘If our flight was a COVID risk, why wasn’t that one?’: Man criticises government for putting one flight into quarantine and not another

A MAN forced into Howard Springs on Sunday said he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” after passengers on his flight from Sydney were booted into quarantine while those on an earlier plane were set free

A TERRITORIAN forced into Howard Springs on Sunday said he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” after passengers on his flight from Sydney were booted into quarantine while passengers on an earlier plane were set free.

The man, who did not want to be named, arrived in Darwin from Sydney on Sunday aboard JQ672, which landed after the NT government declared Greater Metropolitan Sydney, Central Coast, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains as COVID-19 hot spots.

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He said passengers were told by airline staff to expect “a bit more interest” in the flight, before walking into Darwin International Airport and being “ambushed” by border control.

“We had all done the right thing and gotten out of Sydney what we thought would be early, only to get to Darwin and be punished for it,” he said. “We had no idea we were be going to be put into Howard Springs until we had to meet the border control officials there, who said we were being put into Howard Springs at the government’s expense.

“I appreciate the government paying for us to be here but it doesn’t lessen the sting from the slap in the face they gave us.”

The man said while he understood the safety precautions of quarantine, it was hypocritical the NT government allowed passengers on QF840, which landed about four hours earlier from Sydney, to be released into the community.

“If our flight was a COVID risk, why wasn’t that one?” he said. “Who’s to say none of those people are COVID carriers? Presumably they’ve let COVID come in now.

“There’s no reason why they couldn’t test us at the airport and say to isolate at home, and give us advice on what happens after.”

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He was furious at how little notice travellers were given regarding hot spot declarations in comparison to other jurisdictions, and accused the NT government of pulling a political stunt.

“We’re being made an example of by the government,” he said. “All of the people on that flight were sacrificial lambs and we’ve got no choice but to grin and bear it.

“We took drastic action to get out of Sydney only to be ambushed.”

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