Harsher punishment needed to stop people breaching COVID-19 quarantine

IT’S time to enforce a harsher punishment for people who break quarantine rules, writes DENISE CAHILL.

NT police and public health environmental officers conduct a compliance check on a person in self-isolation in Darwin. Picture: Che Chorley

IT’S time to enforce a harsher punishment for people who break quarantine rules.

We’re being too soft on these covidiots.

Just last week a 27-year-old man breached his quarantine to go clubbing in Darwin.

A selfish act that attracted a fine of $1106, which doesn’t reflect the serious danger he put our community in.

The guy was caught by police who were tipped off about the disgraceful action.

He eventually admitted to breaking quarantine rules but sure doesn’t deserve any brownie points for that.

He was one of four people fined on the same day for failing to stay home and quarantine.

A 21-year-old woman from Alice Springs and two women from Darwin, aged 21 and 27, were also found to not be at their places of quarantine during compliance checks.

As of yesterday, there have been 127 infringements issued and some of those have been to the same people who have not acknowledged how serious the consequences of their behaviour could be, and fled quarantine more than once.

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How would you feel if you were responsible for starting community spread of coronavirus in the Northern Territory?

How would you like to be named and shamed for putting our Territory at risk?

Currently the NT government names and shames people who owe more than $10,000 in fines, why not do the same with covidiots?

While the government has so far applauded the majority of Territorians who have played by the rules, it’s the irresponsible minority that have struck fear in some members of the community.

Mutitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Thalia Bohl-van den Boogaard doesn’t trust those coming in to the Territory before the strict lockdown to Victorians on July 17.

The head of the Aboriginal corporation is concerned Victorians arriving before July 17 could flout self quarantine rules like the 127 people before them, including one who travelled to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

“People are skipping their quarantine at the moment whether it’s intentionally or by accident and turning up at the park gates and that’s another risk and the borders aren’t even open yet,” she said.

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A thousand dollar fine is clearly not enough of a deterrent for people.

Every person who fails to follow quarantine rules should be forced to serve the remainder of their quarantine at Howard Springs or the Ross Facility in Alice Springs … and have to start the 14 days over.

From July 17 there are serious penalties, including possible jail time, in place for people who lie about where they’ve come from but in the meantime people who skip quarantine will continue to get off lightly.

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Self-quarantine is hard, it’s isolating and takes away life’s simple pleasures. But we’re not locked in a public housing tower. We’re not in strict lockdown like Melbourne.

We are the safest place in Australia. To make sure we stay that way, just follow the bloody rules.

Denise Cahill is the Head of News at the NT News

Follow @DeniseCahill18