A decision by Queensland health authorities to force passengers on two planes to spend Christmas in isolation has been criticised by prominent Australians ranging from the Prime Minister to Tracy Grimshaw and Leigh Sales.
Scott Morrison weighed into the controversy on Brisbane radio this morning.
'PCR testing, being able to look at ways to ensure people be able to join their families before Christmas, I would hope, is a very high priority for them,' he told Spencer Howson on 4BC.
Sales, the host of ABC's current affairs 7.30 program, was quick to ask why Queensland ordered hundreds of travellers on board two Virgin flights into 14 days of isolation after a passenger tested positive for Covid-19.
'Flights have been going between NSW and Vic for months - has there been a single superspreader event on a flight relating to a Covid case?' tweeted Sales.
'What is the basis of Qld locking up planeloads of vaxed people for Christmas without warning or precedent?'
Meanwhile, Grimshaw, the host of Nine's A Current Affair pointed out the hypocrisy of the Prime Minister being able to move around the state while travellers on the plane were forced to isolate for two weeks.
'The PM is a casual contact, double vaxxed, two negative tests and free to enter and move around QLD,' Grimshaw Tweeted.
'But a planeload of double vaxxed almost all casual contacts are locked in Xmas quarantine for 2 wks regardless of tests.
'Rules have to make sense or people will reject them.'
'Rules have to make sense or people will reject them,' ACA host Tracy Grimshaw Tweeted in response to the decision by Queensland Health to force hundreds of travellers on two Virgin flights to go into 14 days self-isolation over Christmas
The host of Nine's A Current Affair pointed out the hypocrisy of the Prime Minister being able to move around the state while travellers on the plane were forced to isolate for two weeks
'Flights have been going between NSW and Vic for months - has there been a single superspreader event on a flight relating to a covid case?' Tweeted Leigh Sales after Queensland told two planeloads of travellers to self-isolate until after Christmas Day
It's not the first time the ABC's 7.30 presenter has weighed in on the Covid policies of state governments and health authorities
Mr Morrison said on Brisbane radio this morning that the Queensland government should be doing 'all it could' to ensure the passengers could spend Christmas with their families.
'There's nothing magical about 14 days.
'Omicron is in Australia and we’ve got to live with it; we can’t live in fear of it.'
Mr Morrison had been cleared to enter Queensland despite being classified as a casual contact after attending a Sydney high school graduation gala where an infected person tested positive.
He attended Kincoppal-Rose Bay's Graduation Gala at the International Convention Centre Darling Harbour on Friday night.
Mr Morrison had since received two negative PCR tests and so is not required to isolate on entry to Queensland.
On Tuesday evening Queensland Health said passengers on board flights VA1105 from Newcastle to Brisbane and VA375 from Brisbane to Townsville, both on Monday, December 13, were close contacts of the positive case and will need to isolate until December 27, ruining
