Woman to face court accused of breaching WA quarantine laws twice in Mt Barker after arriving from Sydney

A 50-year-old woman will face court in Albany next week accused of repeatedly breaching her COVID-19 quarantine requirements after arriving in WA from Sydney. The Queensland woman has been charged with failing to comply with a direction and no authority to drive after she was allegedly caught twice by Mt Barker police in breach of her 14-day home quarantine period. Police say the woman flew from Sydney to Perth on June 27, where she was ordered to quarantine for 14 days at a residence in Mt Barker. However, on the second day of her home quarantine period, police say the woman was not at the property when they attended. They say she had been shopping in town and was subsequently issued with an infringement for the breach. On the final day of her quarantine period, police allege they spotted her driving in Mt Barker and pulled her over. As a result, she was charged with failing to comply with a direction and no authority to drive. The woman is due to appear in the Albany Magistrate’s Court on August 5. Mt Barker police officer-in-charge Sergeant David Johnson said police conducted random checks on people in home quarantine. “We are tasked by the COVID-19 team in Perth to check on these people that are undertaking quarantine,” Sgt Johnson said. “We do these quite regularly, random home visits to make sure they are complying. “This behaviour puts everyone at risk, especially where the woman has come from.” WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said adhering to quarantine requirements was vital to stopping the spread of COVID-19. “The threat posed by the delta variant of COVID-19 in other parts of the country requires a redoubling of our efforts here in WA to limit its spread,” Commissioner Dawson said. “There are rules in place to protect our community. “An individual’s decision to break those rules puts our community at risk so when police need to act, we have and we will. “I urge all West Australians to help each other and do the right thing in these challenging times.”