Australian police recaptured three teenagers who escaped from a quarantine facility Wednesday after they had tested negative for COVID-19.
The teenagers scaled a fence to break out of the Centre for National Resilience in Howard Springs, Northern Territory, Australian police said, according to the BBC, where they were being held in quarantine because they had been in close contact with individuals who had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The teens were Australian Aboriginals from the nearby Binjari community, ABC News reported, many of whom had been sent to the quarantine facility following an outbreak of COVID-19 in their hometown of Katherine.
Police caught up with the trio after a manhunt that stretched several hours and chased them down on foot in a nearby town, according to ABC.
“Absconding from Howard Springs isn’t just dangerous — it is incredibly stupid,” Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said in a press conference, according to ABC. “Because we will catch you and there will be consequences.”
These are the Quarantine camps in Australia – notice the aluminum siding and all the single barracks look the same. The Nazis did the sane propaganda
— The Pepsi (@ThePepsi5) December 2, 2021
Its the same thing. https://t.co/PxW9aA8VL3
What should we do with the PRO-VAXX cult?
— Ron Renfield, M.D. (@DrRonRenfield) December 2, 2021
– They spread the virus.
– They are anti-science.
– They promote fear & hate.
– They worship the TV & Pfizer.
Lock them up? Quarantine camps? Mental hospitals? #Germany #VaccineMandate #Vaccines #Covidvariant
This is why mandating anything from masks to vaccinations is a slippery slope. Australia’s “quarantine camps” should serve as a wake up call to all those who have inadvertently served as cheerleaders for authoritarianism over the last two years. /THREAD pic.twitter.com/TDsqL3ucJe
— Tom Cridland (@thetomcridland) December 2, 2021
Gunner said that the teens’ escape could mean that they will have to stay in quarantine for longer than expected. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said police would increase CCTV coverage of quarantine facilities in response, ABC reported.
“This the first time we’ve had to use the centre for large numbers of people from an Aboriginal community, but it probably won’t be the last time,” Gunner said.