Man escapes Australian Covid quarantine by using bedsheets as a rope

According to police, a 39-year-old man allegedly fashioned a rope from bed sheets to climb down from a fourth-floor hotel room, making his escape from quarantine in Australia.

The man arrived in Western Australia from Brisbane on Monday afternoon, but he failed to meet the strict exemption criteria required to enter the state, which has tight border controls, as stated by the Western Australia Police Force.

The man was instructed to leave Western Australia within 48 hours and was placed in a quarantine hotel overnight. After midnight, he allegedly made his escape but was apprehended on Tuesday morning and charged with non-compliance and providing false details.

Police confirmed that the man tested negative for Covid-19.

This daring escape comes as Australia faces difficulties controlling a local outbreak of the Delta variant, which began on June 16 with a limousine driver from Bondi, Sydney, who transported international flight crews. Hundreds of cases are now reported in New South Wales (NSW) every week, with a few cases also detected in nearby states such as Victoria and South Australia.

Over half of Australia's 26 million people are currently in lockdown across these three states, with additional restrictions imposed in other areas to curb the virus's spread.

Australia's borders have remained closed since last year to nearly all non-Australians, and even those allowed entry must pay thousands for a two-week hotel quarantine. With limited spaces available in state-run quarantine facilities, fewer tickets are being sold for international flights. Thousands of Australians have voiced frustration at being unable to return home.

Despite strict border security, Australia has been slow to roll out its vaccination program. Only 11% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to Dinogo’s Covid vaccine tracker, a stark contrast to the United Kingdom (53%) and the United States (48%).

As a result, when the highly contagious Delta variant, initially detected in India, spread to Australia, the population had limited vaccine protection.

Australia had originally planned to vaccinate most of its population with the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, it later limited its use to people over 60 due to concerns about rare blood clots.

For Australians under 60, the Pfizer vaccine is recommended, but supplies have been scarce. While one million additional Pfizer doses arrived this week, people under 40 are still not eligible for the vaccine under the official rollout program.

This has raised alarms in states where the Delta variant poses a significant threat. Health authorities are actively contact tracing and instructing individuals who may have been exposed to self-isolate and undergo testing.

On Wednesday, NSW authorities reported 110 new cases after conducting a record 83,477 tests in the past 24 hours.

“Please stay at home unless absolutely necessary,” said Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

“This is extremely serious. We have managed to prevent the kind of surge other countries have experienced with the Delta variant. We've averted the thousands of cases seen elsewhere. Despite our low vaccination rates, we have done well in slowing the virus’s spread.”

“What we need to do now is eradicate it, because with our current vaccination rates, we won’t be able to return to a normal, safe life unless we manage to control this outbreak,” she added.

Greater Sydney is expected to remain in lockdown beyond July, and on Tuesday, Victoria announced a seven-day extension of its lockdown measures.

The state's Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, stated that the Delta variant is spreading more rapidly and is far more contagious than previous outbreaks in Australia.

“We cannot afford to take the risk of reopening too early,” he added.