Pair who fled Melbourne airport to avoid quarantine fined $38,000
The two people who allegedly fled from Melbourne Airport after being told they’d have to do 14 days of quarantine have apologised for their actions.
Terry Elford, 26, and his wife Debbie Elford, 24, arrived in Melbourne on Friday morning on a flight from Canberra.
It’s claimed they then fled the airport, with Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty telling the Herald Sun: “They were spoken to by authorised officers and informed they would be required to quarantine for 14 days as per current CHO directions.
“The pair then ran from the officer, fleeing the airport and were picked up by a vehicle outside.”
In a statement sent to news.com.au on Saturday afternoon, Mr Elford apologised for their actions and said they were confused about the rules.
“We really are very sorry for the mess that this has caused,” Mr Elford wrote in an email to news.com.au. “Like hundreds of others on 1 January 2021, we got caught up with the confusion when the rules about entering Victoria changed.
“We had a permit, live in a green zone in NSW, were flying from Canberra airport which is allowed, and after we arrived in Tullamarine, we were stopped by DHS officers who were not able to tell us whether or not we needed to quarantine, so after about an hour or so we walked away.
“We attended an outdoor family BBQ before flying back into Canberra as planned that same afternoon so that Debbie could get to her obstetric appointment on Tuesday. This was all in line with the plans we had outlined to DHS officers.
“We were really shocked when we woke this morning to this media story, and following that have proactively contacted our local police in Goulburn to sort this out.
“We also have proactively gone to get a COVID-19 test this morning, and will be self-isolating.”
The statement from Mr Elford came just hours after Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley announced the pair will each receive hefty fines.
“I did want to make particular mention of two people who absconded from discussions with authorised officers yesterday who have now apparently returned to Goulburn in New South Wales,” Mr Foley said.
“Upon the advice of the public health team, those people have breached numerous orders of the public-health state of emergency in Victoria and they will each be fined at least $19,000 for their breaching of those arrangements.”
Mr Foley continued: “We have established the link between New South Wales’ cluster and the outbreak in Victoria. We are determined to get on top of it and I know that requires what appears to some people to be tough measures but the virus does not respect state borders,” he said.
