‘Open the door and run’: The extraordinary instructions given to Qantas staff moments after learning Covid-infected passenger from Papua New Guinea was about to land
- The dramatic incident unfolded at Brisbane Airport on Friday, May 7 at 1.30pm
- Stunned Qantas staff were told a man infected with Covid was about to land
- The man had been cleared earlier to board a flight from Papua New Guinea
Qantas staff have revealed the extraordinary set of instructions they were forced to follow after a Covid infected passenger was about to arrive on an overseas flight.
The remarkable incident unfolded at Brisbane Airport on May 7 around 1.30pm, with shocked ground staff told the ‘open the door and run’ as the flight from Papua New Guinea prepared to land.
‘No one could believe it,’ a Qantas employee told the Courier Mail.
‘We were put at risk… staff wearing gloves and masks at the arrivals gate were told to open the door and run.’
Staff from Qantas in Brisbane (pictured) were stunned after recently being told to ‘open the door and run’ as a flight from Papua New Guinea prepared to land – the plane had a passenger from Papua New Guinea believed to be infected with Covid
The Qantas worker also revealed that the passenger in question on a Air Niugini plane arrived on Australian shores looking ‘very unwell’.
He was then quickly attended to by ‘officials from border force, quarantine and Queensland Health.’
The man originally attempted to board a flight to Brisbane on May 6, only to be turned away at Port Moresby International Airport when he produced a positive result for Covid.
He then reportedly returned to the same airport the next day, armed with an exemption letter and ‘appropriate paperwork’ permitting overseas travel.
The man was eventually cleared to fly after Air Niugini contacted the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, who then spoke to the Australian Border Force, who gave him the green light to travel.
The remarkable incident unfolded at Brisbane Airport on May 7 around 1.30pm, with Qantas staff (pictured) left in a state of disbelief (stock image)
It is understood the man – who is an Australian passport holder – is currently in hotel quarantine along with more than 60 other people in Brisbane from the same international flight.
A Qantas spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia Qantas ground staff ‘followed all procedures’.
‘There are a number of strict procedures in place for managing aircraft arriving from overseas,’ the spokeswoman said.
Last month, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk admitted the Commonwealth should look to limit the number of international arrivals into the Sunshine State.
On April 3, it was revealed 42 Covid cases were being treated from people who have travelled to Queensland from PNG – which was more than 60 per cent of the recorded cases in Queensland at the time.
The Premier said reducing the number of international guests was an ‘appropriate measure’ in a bid to contain a possible outbreak.