Constantly changing lockdown laws and a lack of self-isolation hotel rooms is leaving displaced Cape York locals shut out and without a way home, a community leader says.
Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott said more than 100 displaced residents from his shire are living in exile despite many self-isolating and taking appropriate precautions following the coronavirus outbreak.
Cape York entered a tight lockdown last month with roadblocks established in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19 into the region's remote Indigenous communities.
But Cr Scott slammed the process for residents to re-enter the community as "a merry-go-round" with constant amendments leading to locals being turned away at the Mulligan Highway checkpoint.
"The application form to get in is changing almost daily over the last couple of weeks," Cr Scott said.
"We came up with something that we thought was pretty good.
"It was then changed by the State Government, then the Federal Government changed it again and something else was added later on as well."
No rooms available
Kindergarten teacher Nardia Whitman was forced to leave Cooktown when her teenage son Jack needed urgent medical attention in Cairns last week.
After he was discharged she hoped to check-in to self-isolation but was told there were no rooms available.
"My son had been in [Cooktown] hospital for about seven days and needed scans on his heart … so it was a catch 22," Ms Whitman said.
"The doctors recommended we take him down [from Cooktown to Cairns]. My understanding was that we would be down here and then they would put us into isolation for 14 days after he came out of hospital — which was fine."
Instead, the Whitmans have been placed on Queensland Health's list to go into monitored self-isolation at a hotel.
"We don't know how long it will be before we go into isolation, which is where it gets a bit tricky," Ms Whitman said.
"Being here for an extra 14 days I was prepared for, but [being here for] months … not so much.
"I've got commitments up there for kindy. I've been liaising with the Department of Education so that we can keep it open for essential workers while I'm not there, but they won't leave it open indefinitely."
While waiting to go home, Ms Whitman said there were subdued celebrations for her son's 18th birthday this week.
"Because we're not in full isolation I was able to buy a few nice drinks to share with him," she said.
"But I think, like the rest of the world, it'll be one heck of a party once all this corona stuff sorts itself out."
The Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service declined to comment.
