One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has slammed returning Australians who criticised the “unacceptable” conditions of the quarantine hotels.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 1,600 returning overseas travellers have been placed in mandatory 14-day isolation in hotels and other facilities around the country.
Those in compulsory quarantine have reported “prison-like” conditions inside the quarantine buildings.
A couple who was taken to the Swissotel in Sydney after leaving the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship said the handling of the policy has been intolerable.
“We were totally unaware we would be held here against our will and forced to stay in a hotel, rather than go home to our home,” Cathy Poole, 72, told SBS News.
“The food is not palatable, it is cold.
“There are no fresh towels, no cleaning being done!”
However, Queensland senator Hanson said those under quarantine should stop their “bloody whingeing”.
Speaking on Today, Hanson said, “People out there are doing it tough now. If you are over 70 you are supposed to stay home. What I hear [is] they are in five-star accommodation. Stop your bloody whingeing.”
She said her 36-year-old daughter Lee suffers respiratory problems in Tasmania but does not meet the criteria for a coronavirus test.
“If it is pneumonia they can’t put her into the ICU because she might get infected with COVID-19,” Hanson said.
“I can’t get to Tasmania – so I understand what people are going through. Those people who have lost loved ones, I understand.”
