NRL partners, families and officials jet into Qld despite two-week pause on quarantine

The 100-strong contingent arrived into the Sunshine State despite a two-week pause on all interstate arrivals because Queensland’s quarantine was ‘full’.

About 100 NRL partners, families and officials have jetted into Queensland and will undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine, despite a government-imposed pause on new arrivals.

The charter plane landed in Brisbane from Sydney on Monday, days after the Palaszczuk Government announced a two-week pause on hotel quarantine to allow for a new system to be developed.

The contingent was granted an exemption to travel to Queensland by chief health officer Jeannette Young, and are staying at a designated hotel for the NRL not managed by Queensland Health.

The separate, stringent quarantine management plan has been approved by Dr Young and does not use state resources.

But, the move has angered thousands of Queenslanders stranded in hotspot states.

Arrivals from NSW, ACT and Victoria have been paused to allow time for Queensland’s hotel quarantine system to catch up. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said he understood the frustrations, but said it was completely separate to state-run quarantine.

“The only role Queensland police play in the NRL’s quarantining is processing people at the airport. They then go into self funded arrangements, and they have to satisfy to Dr Young that they can do that,” he told ABC radio.

“We do get involved if someone deliberately does the wrong thing, but police are not involved in the security operation.

“I can understand the frustration, this is such a difficult time for our community.

“But, not one Queenslander or returning Australian is missing out on a spot because of the arrangements with the NRL.”

Currently, people seeking to enter Queensland from NSW, the ACT and Victoria cannot do so unless they have an exemption for compassionate reasons.

It comes as the Palaszczuk Government comes under fire for allowing Australian and Indian cricketers into the state to quarantine ahead of the women’s series.

But, Annastacia Palaszczuk said the cricketers, and presumably the NRL contingent, were “outside the cap”.

“I didn’t grant the exemptions, the chief health officer did,” she said.

Last week, she said she knew the pause on interstate arrivals from hotspots would upset people, but it was a necessity to “keep Queenslanders safe”.

“Queensland is being loved to death,” Ms Palaszczuk said last Wednesday.

“We simply do not have the room at the moment.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said sports teams were outside the quarantine cap. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The pause was intended to help authorities clear out the more than 5000 people in quarantine, and allow for a new system to be developed, so that interstate arrivals would be given a designated day to arrive in Queensland.

“What I say to Queenslanders that are in other parts of the nation and want to come home, we are doing everything we can to look at alternative accommodations to make sure that you can come home safely,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We’re looking very closely at South Australia with what happens with their home quarantine as well.”