Among returning international and interstate travellers to Queensland, a whopping 185 people have simply vanished, according to police. You don’t need to be an expert to realise this is probably not a good thing at a time like this.
The people in question are believed to have provided false info at the border, including incorrect addresses or fake phone numbers.
“Whilst the majority of people are adhering to the self-quarantine requirements a small percentage of people have not,” a spokesperson for Queensland Police said.
The force is currently on the hunt for anyone who’s supposed to be quarantining and whose contact details can’t be verified.
“In a situation where a correct phone number cannot be established, investigators are tasked to further investigate and will attempt to locate the individual concerned,” the spokesperson added.
On top of that, a further 25 people did provide the right address/contact info but were nowhere to be found when police did a compliance check. Another 125 had already left the state again before the two week quarantine period was up, which is very much not how things are supposed to work.
Obviously, the situation’s serious as these people could potentially spread the coronavirus around the state.
All states currently have a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for returned travellers – that is, if there are even flights going. Meanwhile, Queensland also has a hard border with hotspots in NSW and Victoria to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
So far they’ve turned back countless people and even already caught one person trying to sneak across the border in the boot of a car.
When an officer spotted him, he remarked: “oh, hello buddy.” The man was later fined $4,003.
At least his whereabouts is accounted for, now.
