Escapee had the sheets with WA hotel Covid-19 quarantine

A 39-year-old Queensland man who allegedly escaped from his fourth-storey hotel quarantine room by making a rope out of bed sheets had been arrested and charged by WA police.

A man has been charged after allegedly escaping Covid-19 hotel quarantine in Perth by climbing out of a window on the fourth floor, then using a rope made out of bed sheets to descend and flee. Picture: WA Police

A 39-year-old Queensland man who allegedly escaped from his fourth-storey hotel quarantine room by making a rope out of bed sheets had been arrested and charged by West Australian police.

The man had arrived in Perth on a flight from Brisbane on Monday afternoon without a valid exemption to enter the state. He was directed to leave WA within 48 hours and was taken to a quarantine hotel in Rivervale while he awaited his return flight, but in the early hours of Tuesday he climbed out a window of his room using bed sheets he had tied together and fled.

He was arrested just over eight hours later in Mt Lawley, 7.5km away.

The man, who has returned a negative Covid-19 test, has been charged with failure to comply with a direction and providing false/misleading information. He was scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court late on Tuesday.

Queensland, NSW and Victoria are all classified as medium risk under WA’s controlled border policy, meaning only people who meet a narrow range of valid exemptions are allowed to enter from those states.

WA on Tuesday also moved to tighten its border with South Australia in light of Adelaide’s latest outbreak.

All arrivals from South Australia will have to self-isolate for 14 days upon entry into the state.

WA is one of the few states without an active community outbreak, although authorities are keeping a close watch on a cargo vessel – the BBC California – which is docked at the port of Fremantle.

Ten of the 14 crew aboard the vessel, which sailed to WA from Indonesia this week, are positive for Covid-19, but the crew is currently isolating on board.