Coronavirus: Sydney group fined for superyacht trip

A CEO and crew who travelled to Queensland on a superyacht to watch the rugby have been hit with fines totalling $16,400.

Dreamtime yacht on the Gold Coast.

A tech millionaire who fled Sydney’s lockdown on a luxury yacht and attended a rugby game alongside thousands of fans will be allowed to stay in Queensland after completing two weeks hotel quarantine.

Jeromy Young, co-founder of video manufacturer Atomos, and three others were fined a combined $16,400 for lying on their border passes when they arrived on the Gold Coast last week.

Mr Young, his personal assistant, the yacht’s skipper and an engineer, left hotspot-declared Newport on Sydney’s northern beaches on July 6.

After docking on the Gold Coast the next morning, they attended the Australia vs France rugby test match at Suncorp Stadium alongside 17,000 fans.

Maritime Safety Queensland manager Angus Mitchell said the group, who have tested Covid-negative, had provided “false and misleading information” when initially claiming their time at Newport was just a stopover.

Mr Mitchell said CCTV footage revealed the group had been docked at the NSW marina for two weeks.

“They may well be facing penalties from NSW as well, they have their own movement restrictions in place at the moment,” he said.

The group, made up of two Queenslanders and two Victorians, have been placed in hotel quarantine at their own expense, but will be allowed to remain or choose to return home once released.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was “extremely disappointing” that the group snuck into the state, risking the health of thousands of Queenslanders.

“We do not want people coming here breaking the law, pure and simple,” she said.

Mr Mitchell said two other single-occupant yachts had arrived illegally on the Gold Coast from Sydney since the lockdown began.

A 68-year-old skipper was placed into hotel quarantine and fined $4003 for “failing to comply with a Covid-19 border direction”, Mr Mitchell said. A separate skipper was also fined $4003 but was decided to return to NSW.

Police have also warned people who have been in Covid hotspots against trying to cross the border for Wednesday night’s State of Origin game on the Gold Coast.

The warning comes after another Covid-19 related death was confirmed in NSW on Tuesday along with 89 new locally acquired cases.

One of those cases one was detected at Goulburn in regional NSW triggering another plea from Ms Palaszczuk for Queenslanders to return home.

“If we do see it spreading to other parts of NSW we won‘t hesitate to shut the border.”

Queensland recorded two local Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, both tested positive on day 12 of home quarantine.

Restrictions imposed after the snap four-day lockdown will ease at 6am on Friday. Masks will no longer be mandatory, visitors will be allowed at hospitals and aged care homes and density requirements will be relaxed.