'It was ridiculous': Mum who was on board the Jetstar flight that was allowed to disembark in Sydney with NO health checks says flight was 'packed'
- A young mum has blasted the coronavirus protocols of budget carrier Jetstar
- Lauren McGill said the entire process from Melbourne to Sydney was 'ridiculous'
- Of the 137 passengers only 89 were given a health screening after they landed
- Two passengers who were on board the flight still remain unaccounted for
A mother of two has detailed the shambolic coronavirus protocols which led to passengers on board a Jetstar flight from Melbourne being allowed to disembark in Sydney without any health checks.
Lauren McGill boarded the plane with her young children just 24-hours before the Victoria capital went back into stage-three lockdown following a surge in infections.
She said the entire process was 'ridiculous'.
'We were told to keep our distance in the line, on the tarmac and the stairs', but the flight was 'packed', she told news.com.
A Passenger wearing a protective mask is pictured collecting baggage at Sydney Airport on Thursday, July 9, after arriving on a Jetstar flight from Melbourne
'When we got into the terminal, we just walked straight out … there was no one there except maybe a few people waiting for a flight.
'There was no one in a gown, no health professionals.'
Ms McGill had her temperature checked before boarding flight JQ520 but said there were no health screening questions.
Passengers were told to exit the plane through the front door of the aircraft when the plane landed but at the last moment they were instructed to leave via the back door.
The 137 interstate travellers then made their way through the empty terminal and headed to the baggage carousel.
'Just as I saw my bag come out, I heard a policeman yelling out: "Everyone stop, if you're on the flight you'll have to go back upstairs to get your health check".
'It was ridiculous,' she said.
Although the officers were able to find 89 passengers, the rest had already left.
With police appearing visually frustrated by the debacle, according to Ms McGill, the remaining passengers filled out a form that had been given to them on the flight.
Two of the questions asked for 'home address' and 'intended address' in Sydney, to which the young mother wrote the same answer as she was returning home.
Contact tracing is now being hurriedly carried out to track the movements of passengers aboard Jetstar flight JQ520
But when Ms McGill finished the form she was told it had been designed incorrectly and the home address was supposed to be the address they had stayed at in Victoria.
Officials from the New South Wales Health Department have laid the blame squarely at the feet of the budget carrier.
'Airline staff, contrary to agreed protocols, allowed passengers to leave the gate area before the health staff had concluded screening a prior flight,' NSW Health said in a statement.
'As a result of this breach, flights will now not be allowed to land in NSW until NSW Health teams are in place to screen them.'
Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans said the blame should be shared.
A Passenger is pictured waiting by the baggage carousel in a protective mask at Sydney Airport on July 9, after arriving on a Jetstar flight from Melbourne
'Yes, it's unfortunate that it happened - it's a combination of the NSW Health person not being there and our people unfortunately disembarking the aircraft,' he said.
'(The screening protocols) are different in every state and that causes confusion. These have been developed and changed very quickly over a number of days.
'Jetstar and the Qantas group as a whole is doing everything it can working with the authorities to make sure people fly safely in these difficult and challenging times.'
Ms McGill and the other passengers who were on board the flight are now in self isolation.
Two passengers are still unaccounted for.
