People Returning To NSW From Overseas Are About To Start Paying A $3000 Hotel Quarantine Bill

All returning travellers flying into NSW are about to start being charged $3000 for their mandatory 14-day stay in hotel quarantine, regardless of where in the country they live. 

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that everyone, including Australian citizens who have thus far been able to quarantine for free, will begin to pay some of their own mandatory hotel costs from 12:01am Saturday July 18th. “Australian residents have been given plenty of time to return home, and we feel it is only fair that they cover some of the costs of their hotel accommodation,” Ms Berejiklian said. Some people believe this is an oversimplification and unfair framing of the issue.

Everyone tweeting “Australians have been told to come home for months!” is betraying a lot about their class and background. Not everyone overseas is on some gap year lark. If you had a job, or were studying, overseas what were you supposed to do? Come home and be unemployed?

— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) July 12, 2020

this is so unfair. we weren't told to come home in march, we were told we could. if everyone came back in march we would have overwhelmed the system, and, given how little we knew (didn't we all shut down 'until april' at first?), it made sense to sit tight/not uproot your life https://t.co/Gx3kNAOFj8

— jared richards (@jrdjms) July 9, 2020

So far over 35,000 people have been quarantined in hotels across Australia, with two thirds of those being NSW residents. Travellers will now be charged $3000 for one adult, and then a further $1000 for each additional adult. Accommodation for children will cost $500 per child, but children under three will stay for free. At the end of each quarantine stay, travellers will receive an invoice to pay within 30 days, with hardship arrangements apparently available for those who might struggle.

Hey Gladys, my in laws are stuck overseas since April, and can’t get a flight back. Now there’s limited number of entries to NSW and their flight on the 10th July had to be rebooked to the 25th, now they have to pay for hotel quarantine? They are pensioners and $3000 is too much.

— Kristina Gutierrez (@Kaydeegutz) July 12, 2020

The money is going to go towards accommodation and meal costs, with the government still paying for things like security and logistics during quarantine. However, there is a loophole if you are overseas and plan to return: anyone who buys a ticket before midnight tonight (July 12th) won’t have to pay for quarantine, regardless of when the flight actually arrives. Get clicking.