A Queensland woman has been fined $2,500 and faced a Cairns court where she pleaded guilty Tuesday to failing to comply with a public health direction, unregulated high-risk activities and wilful damage.
Queensland police said the woman escaped quarantine at the Pacific Hotel in Cairns by scaling two balconies and kicked in a door before going to her mother's house.
The 22-year-old woman had traveled from Sydney July 1 and was placed in hotel quarantine, Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.
Gollschewski said police reviewed surveillance camera footage to find out how she fled the hotel.
"It appears this person has scaled two balconies, gone down an outside staircase, then damaged a door to escape," ABC News quoted him as saying.
Security camera footage showed the woman forced her way through a locked door to get outside. "She has kicked it in, so fairly motivated," Gollschewski said.
"She's facing a number of charges, including criminal," Gollschewski said.
The woman told police she had broken out of quarantine because she wanted to go home to her mother, The Guardian said.
Gollschewski said while an inquiry is still ongoing, police don't believe the woman visited any other premises.
Acting Chief Supt. Chris Hodgman said the woman was "foolhardy" for scaling the outside of the hotel.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the woman is a student nurse.
The same hotel in Cairns was caught up in a similar quarantine breach less than three weeks ago.
A Victorian man fell from his hotel balcony, in an attempt to escape Covid-19 quarantine, 7News reported Tuesday.
