Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has suggested reconsidering how many stranded Australians are allowed to return home, given the more infectious UK coronavirus variant has escaped from hotel quarantine.
Mr Andrews announced on Friday all of Victoria would begin a strict five-day lockdown from Saturday as authorities attempt to stop an outbreak from a hotel quarantine facility growing.
The cluster of concern, at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport, consisted of 13 cases on Friday. Six of those cases have been confirmed to be the UK variant.
Speaking at a press conference announcing the five-day lockdown, Mr Andrews said there needed to be a “cold, hard discussion” on how to best keep new variants out of Australia.
He said he was happy to lead it.
“With this UK strain – and we haven’t even got on to South Africa yet, because it’s just as bad – should we be halving the total number of people coming home? Or should it be a much smaller program that’s based on compassionate grounds?” Mr Andrews said.
“That’s a conversation we should have, particularly given that we’re so close to being able to vaccinate those who, if they get this, will become gravely ill.”
More than 211,000 people have returned from overseas over the course of the pandemic, but some 40,000 Australians remain stuck overseas.
“It’s not for me to make announcements about how many Australians get to come back to Australia,” Mr Andrews said.
“That’s for the federal government. What I’m saying is the game has changed.
“This thing is not the 2020 virus. It is very different. It is much faster. It spreads much more easily.”
He said Melbourne would not be accepting international flights during the short lockdown unless they were already on the way.
Victoria’s weekly international arrival limit was due to increase to 1,310 on Monday.
Scott Morrison again rejects running quarantine
Meanwhile, the prime minister has again rejected the idea of the federal government running hotel quarantine.
“We’re not going to be running it,” Scott Morrison told 3AW radio on Friday.
“Hotel quarantine is never 100 per cent failsafe. To suggest it ever will be is just not realistic.”
Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles insists a Labor government would take the reins of the hotel quarantine system.
“Quarantine is right front and centre of what the federal government is about,” he told the Nine Network.
Western Australia and Queensland are pushing for regional quarantine hubs while Victoria wants the federal government to look at building new facilities.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk has proposed moving quarantine from city hotels to accommodation near Gladstone in the central part of the state.
But Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton – who is responsible for the nation’s international borders – says it would take up to 18 months for a facility to be built.
“We’ve got hotels that are sitting empty around the country, that have catering, that have security, that have ensuite arrangements, it suits the requirements of the health authorities,” he told Nine.
Additional reporting by SBS News.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
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