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Isolation stress drives mother of two to set quarantine hotel on fire

The incident occurred as tensions in sections of Australia escalated due to COVID-19 constraints and warnings about the rise of the Omicron strain.

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Australia: A 31-year-old woman was charged with arson after she set fire to the COVID-19 quarantine hotel where she had been isolated. According to the BBC, the unknown mother set fire to her 11th-floor room at the Pacific Hotel Cairns in the northern city of Cairns on Sunday morning. She was confined there with her 2 kids.

The woman reportedly lit a fire under her bed which eventually grew and caused significant damage to the hotel. The fire did not result in any casualties, but more than 160 guests of the hotel had to be evacuated, according to authorities. Images and videos of the fire emerged on social media.

The woman was taken into jail, and her children were currently under the watch of the department, according to Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Hodgman. He stated the woman had been in isolation for a few days and that there were concerns with her that officials "were managing," according to the police. The incident occurred as tensions in sections of Australia escalated as a result of COVID-19 constraints and recent warnings about the rise of the Omicron strain, which was first discovered by scientists in South Africa. 

In public response to the new variant, the government of Australia has restricted international passengers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi, and Mozambique. People in Australia arriving from such locations would then have to stay in hotels for 14 days to be quarantined. Before, only unvaccinated travelers visiting the nation were subject to isolation.

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