FACT CHECK: Did 7News Report That The Australian Government Is Putting All Citizens Who Remain Unvaccinated By The End Of The Year Into ‘Isolation Camps’?

Mecca Fowler | Contributor

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a news alert about Australia putting all citizens who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year in “isolation camps.”

Verdict: False

The Instagram account 7newsvictoria, which is no longer available, did not appear to be affiliated with 7News in any way. The Australian Government Department of Health said the post’s claim is “false.”

Fact Check:

Featured in the image is what looks like a screen grab of a breaking news alert on Instagram from 7News for the Australian state of Victoria. The text inside the screen grab reads, “BREAKING NEWS – It’s believed that all Australians who are not fully vaccinated by the end of the year, will be put into isolation camps. Victoria is planning to go ahead with this to prevent further snap lockdowns happening later in the year.”

The Instagram account pictured in the image, 7newsvictoria, is not available as of press time. There is no indication the page was affiliated with 7News in any way. (RELATED: No, This Photo Does Not Show An Anti-Lockdown Protest On Bondi Beach)

7News, a television news service in Australia, has Instagram profiles dedicated to its coverage for various parts of the country. The username 7newsvictoria does not look to be verified in the screen grab, unlike many of 7News’ genuine Instagram pages. The Instagram handle @7newsmelbourne, which is verified, appears to be the news service’s account for the state of Victoria.

Check Your Fact didn’t find the supposed “breaking news” about the Australian government putting all people in “isolation camps” if they aren’t vaccinated by the end of the year anywhere on 7News Melbourne’s Instagram account. Such a move by the Australian government also doesn’t appear in any articles on 7News’ website.

Neither the Australian Government Department of Health website nor the Victoria State Government Department of Health and Human Services website mentions putting all Australians who are not vaccinated by the end of the year in “isolation camps.” A spokesperson for the Australian Government Department of Health confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact that the post’s claim “is false.”

Australia currently has some 14-day quarantine requirements for travelers. Travelers arriving in the country who do not qualify for an exemption must quarantine at a government-designated quarantine facility for two weeks, according to the Smartraveller website provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In some cases, such facilities will “support domestic travellers who are travelling from high risk areas to areas with no or low community transmission, whilst quarantine is required for the COVID-19 response,” according to the Department of Health spokesperson.

“Decisions regarding quarantine requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers are continuing to be considered as Australia progresses through the National Plan to Transition Australia’s COVID-19 Response (National Transition Plan),” the Australian Government Department of Health spokesperson also told Check Your Fact. “While quarantine arrangements are a matter for States and Territories, it is anticipated that home quarantine will become increasingly used as Australia progresses through the National Transition Plan. Some high risk travellers may need to undergo time-limited managed quarantine for some time to protect the Australian community.”

Authorities in South Australia have been testing home quarantine for fully vaccinated domestic travelers instead of hotels, according to ABC News. The state government for New South Wales recently announced it would trial home quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers arriving to Australia from other countries, Bloomberg reported.

Mecca Fowler

Contributor

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