Returned traveller busted escaping hotel quarantine says he fled because drinking tap water goes against his 'belief system' and the sound of the air-conditioning disturbed him
- Traveller arrived in Brisbane from Hawaii on Saturday where he was quarantined
- The 33-year-old has Asperger's and said the sound of air condition disturbed him
- He asked for bottled water saying he can't drink tap water due to 'belief system'
- The man was spotted fleeing his room twice during quarantine and was fined
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A man who twice escaped mandatory hotel quarantine because he doesn't drink tap water has been slugged with a $1,500 fine.
The 33-year-old arrived from Hawaii and was taken to Rydges South Bank Hotel in Brisbane for mandatory 14-day quarantine as part of the Federal Government's sweeping measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The traveller, who has Asperger's, fled the hotel claiming the sound of the air conditioning disturbed him and he felt claustrophobic in the hotel room, Brisbane Magistrates Court heard.
He had also requested bottled water to be delivered to his room, saying he can't drink tap water 'because of his belief system', his lawyer said.
The man arrived from Hawaii and was taken to Rydges South Bank Hotel (pictured) in Brisbane to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19
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At 7am, the traveller was spotted on level two of the four-star hotel, four floors from his room and was trying to enter other rooms.
When police questioned him, he said he needed fresh air and sunlight to survive, Courier Mail reported.
He was given a formal warning and ordered back to his room to resume his quarantine.
A few hours later at 11am, police once again spotted the 33-year-old going down the fire escape in only his underwear, the court heard.
He told police he won't be staying in his room before locking himself inside and not allowing officers in.
When he stopped responding to police, they forced their way into the room about 1pm.
Magistrate Robert Walker described the manbehaviour as 'reckless and irresponsible in the extreme', Courier Mail reported.
'We are all, as a community, dealing with a range of difficulties in these clearly extraordinary circumstances,' Mr Walker said.
'There are imperatives of community safety that ought to be apparent to all of us'.
Mr Walker fined the man $1,500 but didn't record a conviction.
A Police officer is seen at Brisbane International Airport as passengers arrive and are put onto buses where they will be taken to hotels in the CBD to start their Covid-19 quarantine, on April 2, 2020
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