Passengers from UK forced to scrub up: [2 Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 06 Mar 2001: 6.
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Abstract
PASSENGERS arriving from Britain will have to get used to one thing: having their shoes thoroughly inspected by quarantine agents.
Other passengers were equally accepting of the extra intrusions. Nightclub manager Tony Richards had been visiting relatives in theMidlands. His shoes, too, were washed. "We have tried to keep everything out of Australia, and if this is one way of doing it, fair enough," he said. "It is terrible looking at the TV in England and seeing all these animals going up in flames."
Quarantine manager at Sydney Airport Erik Lielkajis said they were working closely with Customs officers to identify people who may have been potentially exposed to foot-and-mouth.
PASSENGERS arriving from Britain will have to get used to one thing: having their shoes thoroughly inspected by quarantine agents.
Quarantine officers have found their workload radically increased as inspections are upgraded in response to the British foot-and- mouth disease outbreak.
The measures mean an extra 1 million passengers will have their luggage -- including shoes -- closely inspected during the next 12 months.
One of those having their shoes not just inspected but scrubbed with disinfectant as they arrived from London last night was well- known fashion designer Wayne Cooper.
"The last place I am going to be is in the fields with the cows," he declared, as he attempted to explain away the dirt on the bottom of an otherwise stylish pair of runners.
But his explanation -- that he had just gone walking near his mother's house -- fell on deaf ears. His shoes left the airport thoroughly scrubbed.
"I don't resent the extra measures, I only thing I resent is that it is me," he said.
Other passengers were equally accepting of the extra intrusions. Nightclub manager Tony Richards had been visiting relatives in theMidlands. His shoes, too, were washed. "We have tried to keep everything out of Australia, and if this is one way of doing it, fair enough," he said. "It is terrible looking at the TV in England and seeing all these animals going up in flames."
Quarantine manager at Sydney Airport Erik Lielkajis said they were working closely with Customs officers to identify people who may have been potentially exposed to foot-and-mouth.
An estimated 800,000 people arrive in Australia from Britain each year and there are fears the disease may have already spread to Europe.
"We have excluded foot-and-mouth disease from Australia for 130 years, that is our track record," Mr Lielkajis said.
"One of our greatest challenges is dealing with people from Europe who don't understand why we have such strict quarantine records. Minor delays can be expected. We are seeking the co- operation of the public."
Illustration
Caption: Sole of discretion:; Lindsay Moller; Photo: Photo
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