Australia inquiry says police should guard hotel quarantine
MELBOURNE โ Overseas travelers should be quarantined in hotels guarded by police, an inquiry into an Australian cityโs bungled quarantine program reported on Friday. Victoria Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and senior public servant Chris Eccles both resigned after the inquiry heard evidence of their involvement in the program. Also Friday, Australiaโs highest court upheld a stateโs border closure and dismissed billionaire businessman Clive Palmerโs argument that the pandemic measure was unconstitutional. The seven High Court judges ruled that Western Australiaโs state border closure to non-essential travel applied during โa hazard in the nature of a plague or epidemicโ complied with the constitution. All Australian states and territories have used border restrictions to curb infections and a court ruling against Western Australia could have impacted their pandemic responses.
Asia Today: Court upholds state border closings in Australia
Diners are seen in a dining room of popular Melbourne Restaurant Chin Chin in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)CANBERRA โ Australiaโs highest court on Friday upheld a stateโs border closure and dismissed billionaire businessman Clive Palmerโs argument that the pandemic measure was unconstitutional. The seven High Court judges ruled that Western Australiaโs state border closure to non-essential travel applied during โa hazard in the nature of a plague or epidemicโ complied with the constitution. All Australian states and territories have used border restrictions to curb infections and a court ruling against Western Australia could have impacted their pandemic responses. His lawyers had argued that the border restriction unreasonably infringed upon Australiansโ constitutional right to free travel between states.