A recovering alcoholic in hotel quarantine claims his request to have the temptation removed from his room was denied by staff because it was a human right.
The man aged in his 40s was recently hospitalised after he drank to excess while suffering a panic attack due to being confined to his hotel room 24-7 on the Gold Coast.
He later returned to Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise to complete his mandatory quarantine following his recent arrival from Victoria.
The guest claims he asked hotel staff to remove the alcohol from his room, which was denied.
A recovering alcoholic drank excessively to deal with his panic attacks while being confined to his hotel Quarantine room (pictured)
‘She said, “We can’t block alcohol to your room because you have a human right to it'”‘ he told Brisbane Times.
He also claimed doctors and psychologists were not easily accessible and was later told by Queensland Health he would be supplied with booze if he requested it, despite his mental health issues.
He added his exemption to not undergo hotel quarantine was denied, despite his psychologist claiming the man’s relapses were triggered by indoor confinement.
A second hotel staff member told him alcohol wouldn’t be removed from the room because he had a right to it.
‘I said, ”You’ve just told someone who ended up in such a state that they were put in hospital because they were drinking so much – I put steps in place to make sure I can’t get it – you’ve now given me instructions on how to circumvent it … have you ever met an alcoholic?”,’ the man said.
He took it upon himself to remove the alcohol from his room himself and is now medication to help with his anxiety attacks.
READ RELATED: Coronavirus: COVID-19 survivor reveals 14 symptoms, including warning sign in sleep
The man holed up in hotel quarantine at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise (pictured) claims his request to have booze removed from his room was denied by hotel staff
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Health for comment.
A spokeswoman told the Brisbane Times those isolating in hotel quarantine and required assistance had access to nursing staff and on-site facility manager.
The man’s harrowing ordeal comes as Queensland paused its hotel quarantine program for interstate travellers to relieve mounting strain on the system.
It has shut its border to people seeking to relocate or fleeing to Queensland from Covid-ravaged states for the next two weeks.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) says Queensland’s hotel quarantine system is being stretched to the limit
‘We often do not know from day to day how many people are coming into Queensland from other states, they just turn up, they have their pass and they just turned up, and they’re just needing hotel quarantine,’ Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Wednesday.
‘We do not have any room at the moment. We’re being stretched to the limit. It’s too much pressure, it’s putting our workers and our community at risk.’
‘We don’t want to see Delta coming into our community.’
Exemptions will exist for those accessing medical treatment and other special circumstances including bereavement.
The mounting pressure on Queensland’s hotel quarantine system has forced the government to pause the program for domestic travellers entering the state
Source:
