The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has said on Sunday that it has deployed teams across the country to work in partnership with state and territory law enforcement agencies to conduct COVID-19 quarantine compliance checks.
The ADF will provide logistics support for the state and territory police as they enforce mandatory quarantine and isolation measures, with around 350 ADF personnel are supporting state and territory authorities as of Sunday.
More than 30 ADF personnel have deployed to Sydney Airport to support New South Wales police, with at least another 40 supporting the quarantine of six separate hotels. Approximately another dozen ADF personnel deployed to Brisbane Airport and Cairns Airport to support Queensland police, while about the same number of personnel are supporting the quarantine of a hotel in Cairns.
Fifty ADF personnel have been approved to deploy in Western Australia to support quarantine measures for new arrivals. A small number have already supported the movement of baggage from Fremantle to Perth Airport and Rottnest Island Ferry Terminal.
The ADF response is being undertaken through the provisions of the Defence Assistance to the Civil Community (DACC) framework, with Defence working with other state and territory authorities to determine their support requirements and stand ready to provide that support at short notice.
Assistance from the ADF is coordinated through the Emergency Management Australia-led Whole-of-Government response to COVID-19, and Defence stresses that ADF members have no coercive enforcement powers.
As of 11.30 AEDT of the 30th of March 2020, 23 ADF members have been confirmed to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus, out of a total of 4093 cases nationwide.
Information about Defence assistance to the states and territories, as well as the Whole-of-Government response, is updated on the Defence website when details are finalised:Â https://news.defence.gov.au/national/defence-response-covid-19
