‘It’s quarantine, not a luxury holiday’: Lara Bingle faces a backlash for complaining about her sick 63-year-old mother’s ‘unacceptable’ hotel after flying into Sydney
Lara Worthington (née Bingle) has complained about her mother Sharon’s hotel accommodation while in quarantine in Sydney.
Sharon, 64, returned to Australia on an international flight on Monday and, like other travellers, must stay in a hotel for 14 days to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Lara, 32, tweeted photos of her mother’s living conditions and wrote: ‘Don’t think this looks like a five-star accommodation to me… This is unacceptable.’
‘It’s quarantine, not a luxury holiday’: Lara Worthington (left) faces fan backlash for complaining about her sick 63-year-old mother Sharon’s (right) ‘unacceptable’ hotel after flying into Sydney
With two thirds of the country’s COVID-19 cases from or closely linked to overseas travellers, vacant hotels are being used to house new arrivals so they are not able to spread the disease.
While reports suggest travellers have been placed in high-end accommodation, Lara found her mother’s hotel inadequate.
The model shared unflattering photos of the small room, which featured cork-board runners around the wall and rustic accessories.
‘Don’t think this looks like a 5 star accommodation to me… This is unacceptable’: Lara, 32, Tweeted after being sent photos of the hotel (pictured) by her mother
PICTURED: The model shared unflattering photos of the small room, which featured cork-board runners around the wall and rustic accessories
Lara soon faced backlash from outraged fans, who claimed her comments amid the global pandemic were ‘tone deaf’.
‘It’s quarantine, not an extension to your luxury overseas holiday,’ one Tweet read, adding: ‘Less complaining would be appreciated, we are all making sacrifices and doing it tough.’
Others took aim at the fact Lara seemed frustrated her mother wasn’t spending her 14-days of forced isolation in a five-star venue.
‘Seriously?? So maybe she should have come home earlier. I have no sympathy – there was no guarantee of 5 star accommodation. You take what you get and just because she’s your mom doesn’t mean she is entitled to 5 star service.’
‘5 star or not is absolutely besides the point ; spare a thought for those worse off (and there plenty),’ another said, with the main consensus among the complaints being that quarantine was about safety for the community above all else.
Meanwhile, Sharon has also been complaining about, and documenting, her hotel isolation experience on her personal Instagram account.
She shared her distaste for her cereal breakfast and vegetarian casserole dinner provided by the hotel, writing: ‘No thankyou.’
‘These are my towels that I’m expected to use WTF,’ she captioned a photo of blue towels with black markings around their edges.
Claiming to be sick enough to be in hospital, she slammed Australia’s Prime Minister for placing her at the hotel: ‘Expected to stay here for 14 days, would you. #ScottMorrisonWhereAreYou. This is unexceptionable.’
Other Australian travellers cooped up in five-star hotels for 14 days of isolation after returning from overseas have also complained they are living in ‘quarantine hell’ with no fresh air and terrible food.
Thousands of people flying into Australia have been shuttled to makeshift quarantine facilities as the government turns to law-and-order to fight coronavirus.
In Sydney, travellers are being sent to numerous hotels, including the InterContinental, Swissotel and the Novotel on Darling Harbour. The three hotels mentioned are upmarket with starting prices of over $200 a night for standard rooms.
In Melbourne people are being accommodated in the Crown Promenade, where guests typically pay a minimum price of $233 per night.
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