Three Victorians who tried to escape lockdown by flying to Auckland are put in hotel quarantine 

Melbourne family-of-three who fled city’s lockdown and flew from Sydney to Auckland are thrown into hotel quarantine – and could face JAIL time

  • Family drove to Sydney before flying to Auckland for a funeral last week
  • The trio were stopped at the border and have been placed into hotel quarantine 
  • The three Victorians could face fines of up to $4,000 or even jail time for breach 

A Melbourne family-of-three who tried to escape their state’s lockdown by flying from Sydney to Auckland have been forced into hotel quarantine.

The trio will have to pay for their two week stint in an Auckland quarantine facility with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warning there will be consequences for the rule breakers. 

The family had driven to Sydney before boarding a plane across the ditch last week when they were caught at the New Zealand border. 

It’s believed the trio had not declared they had been in Covid-affected Melbourne and had travelled to New Zealand to attend a funeral, the NZ Herald reported.

They face up to six months in prison and a $4,000 fine if they’re found to have deliberately breached Trans-tasman bubble laws. 

A Melbourne family-of-three who tried to escape their state’s lockdown by flying from Sydney to Auckland have been forced into hotel quarantine (pictured Melbourne residents walk through streets during lockdown)

Travel between New Zealand and Victoria was paused last month due to the state’s recent coronavirus outbreak.  

‘For anyone considering breaching the rules that we have in place, you see in this case the family has been picked up and they have been put into a managed isolation facility, so there are consequences,’ Ms Ardern said.

‘As for fines, those decisions sit elsewhere.’ 

New Zealand director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said all three had returned negative ‘day zero’ Covid-19 tests. 

Those in Greater Melbourne are in the midst of a lockdown which is due to end on Friday.

There was one case on Wednesday but a string of restrictions will remain in place in the Victorian city. 

Melburnians will still be banned from having guests at their home beyond Friday, and even those in the regions will only be permitted to have two people over.

Acting Premier James Merlino on Wednesday said metropolitan Melbourne will move to ‘most of the same settings’ currently in place across regional Victoria, with masks mandatory indoors and people encouraged to work from home.

What has been lifted is most restriction on movement, with residents now allowed to leave home for whatever reason they want, with shops, restaurants and cafes permitted to open with strict capacity limits.

The existing 10km radius limit for movement will be increased to 25km, with travel beyond that only allowed for work, education, caregiving or getting a vaccination. 

More to come. 

The trio will have to pay for their two week stint in an Auckland quarantine facility with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warning there will be consequences for the rule breakers

The trio will have to pay for their two week stint in an Auckland quarantine facility with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warning there will be consequences for the rule breakers

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk