Yahoo Finance Billionaire founder skips hotel quarantine for sad reason
Billionaire Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel has touched down in Sydney but avoided two weeks in hotel quarantine, after arranging for his own quarantine program.
As the Sydney Morning Herald first reported, the $10.45 billion Spiegel flew into Sydney to join wife, supermodel Miranda Kerr.
The two flew into Sydney after one of Kerr’s family members fell gravely ill.
But they’re not the first to skip hotel quarantine.
Multi-millionaire business executive and former Jetstar and a2 Milk boss Jane Hrdlicka also avoided hotel quarantine to isolate in a Brisbane residence, while several film crews have also avoided hotel quarantine.
Hrdlicka was granted permission by the Queensland government to carry out the self-isolation in a residence after also travelling for family reasons.
Under the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order (No 2) 2020, people can quarantine outside of a hotel provided their quarantine meets the same standards.
Singer Danii Minogue also isolated her Gold Coast home in July, with Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles explaining that hotel quarantine isn’t designed to be a punishment, but a public health precaution.
And as such, those who can afford to carry out their own isolation are allowed to.
“I understand people saying that [it is special treatment],” Miles said in July.
“The intent of our quarantine isn’t to punish people for coming here, it’s to keep the community safe. And if people can put in place arrangements that satisfies our chief health officer that it would keep the community safe then that meets the objective of the policy,” Miles said.
Australians entering hotel quarantine in NSW and South Australia pay $3,000 to cover the cost of their two weeks, while in Queensland and Tasmania it costs $2,800.
The Northern Territory charges arrivals $2,500 a fortnight, while Western Australia charges new arrivals $2,520 for a one person room.
