coronavirus, repatriation flight, canberra, singapore airlines, covid-19
About 170 returning Australians will soon be en route to hotel quarantine after the fifth repatriation flight touched down in the ACT. Singapore Airlines Flight 211 landed at Canberra Airport just before 8pm Monday. Passengers from Europe and Asia on the “hub” flight – meaning they had travelled from several locations – were greeted by health officials before undergoing screening expected to take several hours. The passengers were then set to be taken by bus to the Pacific Suites hotel for 14 days of mandatory quarantine. About 200 staff across the ACT and federal governments as well as private organisations have taken part in setting up the process. Monday’s flight was the first repatriation flight to arrive since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began one week ago. As of Friday, 980 front-line health staff had received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. An ACT Health spokesman said staff who were unable or chose not to get the vaccine did not work in areas where they would come into contact with returning travellers in quarantine. READ MORE: “Given that vaccinations have only been available for one week for people included in Phase 1a of the rollout, it has not been possible for all of the front-line workers in this operation to receive their first dose prior to the government facilitated flight’s arrival,” he said. Quarantine safety measures were recently ramped up, with daily saliva testing introduced for hotel staff. Passengers on the last repatriation flight, from Chennai, India, were released from quarantine on February 23. ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith on Friday said the territory had agreed it could take on more repatriation flights in 2021. The government has previously said it only had capacity to take one flight every two weeks, as it requires quarantine hotel rooms to have a kitchenette and balcony. The Pacific Suites hotel is the only one suitable hotel which has signed up to take part.
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YSE9Nkng6wVvRADAVf7nRi/1928f367-66fd-4f0d-aa65-a870dc5ed97f.jpg/r12_256_4987_3067_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
About 170 returning Australians will soon be en route to hotel quarantine after the fifth repatriation flight touched down in the ACT.
The passengers were then set to be taken by bus to the Pacific Suites hotel for 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
About 200 staff across the ACT and federal governments as well as private organisations have taken part in setting up the process.
Monday’s flight was the first repatriation flight to arrive since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began one week ago. As of Friday, 980 front-line health staff had received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
An ACT Health spokesman said staff who were unable or chose not to get the vaccine did not work in areas where they would come into contact with returning travellers in quarantine.
“Given that vaccinations have only been available for one week for people included in Phase 1a of the rollout, it has not been possible for all of the front-line workers in this operation to receive their first dose prior to the government facilitated flight’s arrival,” he said.
Quarantine safety measures were recently ramped up, with daily saliva testing introduced for hotel staff.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith on Friday said the territory had agreed it could take on more repatriation flights in 2021.
The government has previously said it only had capacity to take one flight every two weeks, as it requires quarantine hotel rooms to have a kitchenette and balcony. The Pacific Suites hotel is the only one suitable hotel which has signed up to take part.
