Passengers who were plunged into 14-day quarantine because their flight from Perth ran six hours late could be let go early as WA’s lockdown ends
- Passengers were forced to quarantine for 14 days after six hours flight delay
- Virgin Australia flight VA469 was scheduled to leave Perth at 1.40pm on Friday
- Though ‘engineering matters’ delayed the flight’s departure time until 7.11pm
- The flight landed in Brisbane hours after new quarantine rules were enforced
Passengers abruptly forced into 14 days of hotel quarantine after their flight from Perth was delayed six hours may go home today.
Virgin Australia flight VA469 to Brisbane was scheduled to take off at 1.40pm on Friday but was stuck on the tarmac with engineering problems.
During those six hours, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan ordered a three-day lockdown from midnight after a Victorian man tested positive to coronavirus after returning home from his hotel quarantine stay at the Mercure Hotel.
While the delayed flight was enroute to Brisbane, Queensland declared Perth a Covid-19 hotspot and ordered anyone arriving from the city after midnight on Friday to quarantine in hotel for 14 days.
The flight landed in Brisbane at 1.30am on Saturday and shocked passengers were whisked away to nearby quarantine hotels to isolate.
However, the travellers could be free to leave on Tuesday after the Perth lockdown ended at midnight.
About 100 Virgin Australia passengers heading to Brisbane from Perth were unexpectedly whisked away to hotel quarantine after a snap lockdown was declared in Perth. Pictured is a traveller checking in at Perth Airport in January
They must return a negative Covid test and prove they didn’t visit any of the exposed venues in Perth to be given the all clear to leave.
Passengers are understood to also receive an exemption so they don’t have to fork out for the unexpected hotel stay.
‘WA has done an excellent job of containing their cases to just three,’ Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
‘Once they went into lockdown, Queensland, like other states, acted swiftly with an abundance of caution to limit any risk of transmission here.’
‘We know prevention measures can be inconvenient, but they are necessary to protect Queenslanders.’
Flight VA469 passenger Adrian claimed nobody onboard knew of the changes until they were being ushered to the nearby Pullman Brisbane Airport to quarantine.
‘It’s just appalling,’ he told Courier Mail.
‘The decision was made while we were flying and we had no opportunity to change travel plans.’
Virgin Australia flight VA469 was delayed in Perth for six hours due to engineering difficulties (stock image)
A three day lockdown of Perth has ended but some rules remain, including the wearing of masks. Pictured is a Perth woman exercising in Elizabeth Quay on Monday
Michelle Whyte told Nine News: ‘The choices were taken away. We had no preparation for being told once we landed that we would enter hotel quarantine.’
Adrian confirmed he received a letter from Metro North Health confirming his hotel quarantine fees would be waived.
‘As you were not able to be made reasonably aware of the entry restrictions and requirements for hotel quarantine to inform your travel to Queensland before departure, a class exemption was approved for Flight VA469 arriving on the early morning of April 24, 2021,’ the letter states.
‘This meant you were permitted to enter Queensland regardless of whether or not you met the requirements of paragraph 6 of the Border restrictions Direction (No. 24).’
Virgin Australia said it was only made aware of the changes when they came into effect on April 24.
Passengers whisked away to the Pullman Brisbane Airport (pictured) for 14 days of quarantine may be able to leave as early as Tuesday
The airline said the flight was already in the air when the Queensland travel restrictions were updated.
‘We understand that changing border restrictions can cause significant disruption to our guests and we encourage and remind guests to ensure they check the latest information on the respective government websites prior to any travel,’ it said.
The three day lockdown of Perth and surrounding Peel region ended as planned at midnight Monday.
Mr McGowan said the lockdown had ‘done its job’ as he announced no new cases of the virus in the state from 13,207 Covid-19 cases overnight.
A number of restrictions remain in place for the next three days, including mandatory wearing of face masks, 20-person limit inside home and sit-down dining at cafes and bars
Casinos, nightclubs and indoor fitness venues will remain closed until Saturday at the earliest.
The Virgin Australia flight VA469 was due to leave Perth for Brisbane at 1.40pm on Friday but didn’t take off until six hours later (stock image)
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