Woman charged with allegedly breaching hotel quarantine in AFL Grand Final dash

A Queensland woman has allegedly breached hotel quarantine after she travelled to Perth to attend the AFL Grand Final despite being warned she would not be allowed out of isolation in time for the game this weekend.

The 29-year-old has been arrested, charged with breaching a quarantine direction and refused bail to appear in court on Thursday.

The woman on Tuesday lodged an application to enter Western Australia stating she was attending the Western Bulldogs – Melbourne Grand Final match, which is being held in Perth because of the ongoing lockdown in Melbourne.

WA Police said they contacted the woman prior to her departure and advised her that she would be subject to a 14 day self-quarantine period and therefore unable to visit the Optus Stadium on Saturday.

Despite this information, the woman flew to Perth on Wednesday, where she was told to quarantine at a hotel in East Perth.

Police allege the woman failed to attend her nominated accommodation, instead attending another two hotels “in the company of a man known to her”.

“It is further alleged that the woman failed to declare to the hotel that she was subject to a self-quarantine direction, and that she was not wearing a face mask during this time,” police said in a statement.

The woman was arrested and charged with one count of Fail to Comply with a Direction (Emergency Management Act).

She was refused bail to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court.

No new Covid-19 cases have been reported in WA or South Australia after an infectious truck driver from NSW visited both states last week.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said safety precautions were in place to ensure the Grand Final could proceed on Saturday as planned.

“There’s only two days to go now, so we’re very, very confident that there’s nothing to stop the game going ahead,” he told reporters on Thursday.