Australian woman who returned home from the US to see her dying mother is reduced to tears as she is forced into hotel quarantine after her special exemption is denied
- Australian woman who flew home to be with her mother forced into quarantine
- Nicole Sadilek and her teenage daughter Paige made journey from US last week
- Their close relatives's lung cancer had metastasised earlier this year to her liver
- Queensland government denied claim as situation was deemed not 'exceptional'
- Mrs Sadilek, from California, hit out at denial saying it was 'cruel' and 'inhumane'
An Australian woman who flew home from the United States to be with her dying mother has been forced into hotel quarantine after having her request for an exemption denied by authorities.
Nicole Sadilek and her daughter Paige, 17, had applied for the exemption before making the journey from their home near San Francisco last week.
The mother and daughter arrived in Sydney on Sunday - hoping to spend two or three days confined to a CBD hotel before being granted permission to isolate at Mrs Sadilek's sister's home in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane.
That way, Mrs Sadilek could see her mother Nicolette Hammond, 76, through the window in what might be her final days battling lung cancer.
Nicole Sadilek was denied permission to be with her dying mother Nicolette Hammond (pictured together) by the Queensland government
Mrs Hammond's (pictured) cancer has metastasised to her liver and in a further complication she had broken her hip in a fall on June 15 - leading to her family in the US to try and get an exemption to see her in in her final days
Mrs Hammond's cancer - first diagnosed last year - has since metastasised to her liver and in a further complication she had broken her hip in a fall on June 15.
But in a heartbreaking twist the mother and daughter were told on Wednesday night by Queensland Health their request had been denied as it did not constitute 'exceptional circumstances' and they had to withstand 14 full days in quarantine.
'I was just numb,' Mrs Sadilek told Daily Mail Australia. 'I couldn't believe her imminent passing was not a circumstance that would warrant quarantine.'
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Mrs Sadilek, 46, said she had submitted a letter from both her mother's social worker and a doctor - with the latter saying it would be beneficial for Mrs Hammond to have her daughter by her side.
While the sudden rejection had left her mother numb, Paige said the news she may never see her grandmother's final moments reduced her to tears.
'When we got the denial my mum was the strong one - she was just in shock,' she said.
Mrs Sadilek and her daughter Paige are pictured confined to quarantine in Sydney - where they have been forced to remain for two weeks despite their pleas to be with their dying relative
Paige is pictured with her grandmother. 'When we got the denial my mum was the strong one,' the teenager said as she revealed she broke into tears when she got the news
'For me, that was the moment I broke down - I was so taken back that they could refuse us.'
To add to their despair, the pair missed a connecting flight from Sydney to Brisbane owing to delays - which would have allowed them to quarantine closer to their dying relative.
'I do understand that a lot of people will take advantage and not isolate like they say they will,' the mother said.
'The cases here are admirable and how you've kept them so low is astounding. I understand the government wanting to be cautious.
'But when you have been given proof about someone's demise its cruel and inhumane for them to do this.'
She said one woman she knew was on day 12 of her quarantine when she found out the relative she had travelled to Australia to visit in their final moments had passed away.
Passengers off the Melbourne to Sydney train service have their temperature checked by NSW Health officials at Central Station on July 2
Queensland Health said it was unable to comment on Mrs Sadilek's individual case, but said every rejection or approval was made with the applicant's 'safety in mind'.
'Currently only Australian citizens, residents and immediate family members can travel to Australia,' the department said in a statement.
'All travellers from overseas are required to quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in Australia. This is a federal government decision.
'We want to assure Queenslanders that every exemption application is considered with their safety in mind.
'These are difficult decisions and we understand being separated from loved ones, especially those who are unwell, is an extremely difficult circumstance to be in.
'The compulsory quarantine period being used in Queensland, consistent with that of our state and international peers, is there to protect our community from the ongoing international COVID-19 pandemic.'
