coronavirus,

Foreign diplomats won't be forced to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival in Canberra after being granted an exemption to the federal government's coronavirus rules. Unaccompanied children who arrive in the ACT from overseas will also be permitted to complete their 14-day isolation at home. Prime Minister Scott Morrison last month announced that all passengers arriving in Australia from overseas would be shuttled to hotels where they would be forced to quarantine for two weeks. Defence personnel have been brought in to enforce the process, which was introduced to stop returning travelers flouting self-isolation rules and potentially spreading the virus in the community. Just seven passengers have been subject to the restrictions in Canberra after their Qatar Airways flight from Doha landed on March 28. It was the final international flight to arrive in Canberra. Australia's borders are now shut to overseas travelers. All seven of those passengers spent two nights quarantined at Barton's Burbury Hotel, before five were given permission to return home to complete their two-week isolation period. While the border closure has almost entirely stopped the flow of people entering Australia, state and territory chief medical officers have recommended that select groups of new returned travelers be exempt from the mandatory quarantine requirements - including diplomatic visa holders. As diplomats are guaranteed freedom of movement and travel under the Vienna Convention, they can't be forced to quarantine in a hotel, according to advice published on April 4 by the federal health department. READ MORE: It was recommended that diplomats self-isolate at their embassy or usual place of residence. Aviation and maritime crew (excluding cruise ships), passengers transiting to other international flights and unaccompanied minors should also granted exemptions. Applications for exemptions on health or compassionate grounds would also be considered on a case-by-case basis. State and territories had to sign off on the exemptions before they came into effect in their jurisdiction. That has since been done in the ACT, with the territory's chief health officer granting exemptions for diplomatic visa holders and unaccompanied children. Diplomats posted to Canberra are already immune from prosecution by local authorities under the Vienna Convention. They could still be fined $8000 for flouting self-isolation rules, but ACT courts cannot enforce the penalty. No diplomatic visa holders have returned to Canberra from overseas since the hotel quarantine rules came into effect. ACT Chief Police Officer Ray Johnson last week said he wasn't aware of any evidence of diplomats flouting self-isolation rules. "I would expect diplomats to understand why we are doing what we are doing and comply and support the community," he said. "Most of the time police have a good relationship with the diplomatic residences and diplomatic communities in the ACT and for the most part we get really good cooperation from them. "I wouldn't expect that to change into the future." Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. If you're looking to stay up to date on COVID-19, you can also sign up for our twice-daily digest here.

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