Nurse Sarah Stafford says Queensland border closures will prevent her from attending father's funeral as exemptions require two week quarantine

A week ago, Sarah Stafford received a call from her distressed mother to say her dad, Glendale-raised Tony Boyle, was struggling to stand in the shower.

The 78-year-old had been battling colorectal cancer.

"Mum called me and asked me what to do," Ms Stafford, a registered nurse, said.

"I said, 'He's not safe to stay at home. You need to call an ambulance and get him to the hospital'.

"Once they assessed him, it was quite clear his liver was shutting down. His cancer had spread. They said it wouldn't be too long before he would end up passing.

"They were thinking he might have a couple of weeks. They didn't think it would be a couple of days."

The mother-of-four said the doctors and nurses there had been "amazing", immediately writing a letter to allow her to put in a request for a border exemption to see her father before he died.

"Unfortunately though, I didn't get to see him," she said. "I got to speak to him on Zoom, and less and less over the last few days.

"He went in on Wednesday, I spoke to him on Thursday, and a little bit on Friday. After that he never regained consciousness.

"On Saturday afternoon, he passed away."

It was not the farewell Ms Stafford had hoped to give her father.

"The last time I saw my mum and dad and the rest of my family was at Christmas," she said. "We had hoped then that it wasn't going to be the last goodbye, or the last time I'd be able to hold his hand or give him a hug. That's what I wanted. I wanted to be there with him, I didn't want him to feel alone in his final moments.

"I wanted to be by his side, holding his hand, as he passed."

About an hour after his death, Ms Stafford said she heard from the Chief Health Officer's delegates in Queensland.

"They said they had approved my request to go up there to see him, but I would have to quarantine for two weeks," she said.

"I explained the new situation. I provided them with doctor's letters and my vaccination certificate, as well as my mother and brother's vaccination certificates - because I would stay with them while I was there. I volunteered to do a daily PCR test."

She had hoped exemptions were decided on a case-by-case basis. Sporting teams and their families had recently been permitted to enter the state.

"My mum was able to confirm, along with the church minister, that the percentage of people fully vaccinated at the funeral would be up around that 90 percent rate," she said. "I've done everything right. If they do their risk matrix, I pose such a small risk... but they were just unwilling to budge."

The family had been hoping to have a funeral for Mr Boyle this week. But Ms Stafford would have to spend two weeks in quarantine there.

"Mum would like to get it over and done with.... She's waiting for that closure, and I don't want to prolong that for her," Ms Stafford said.

"Given she has just lost her husband, I don't want to put her through any more pain than what she's already going through. I don't want to be the cause of making her wait to do that."

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Ms Stafford said she had only applied for the exemption for herself and not her immediate family to "make the process easier".

"I've got four children," she said. "One is about to do the HSC and one is disabled - he has a rare neuro-metabolic condition and is fed through a tube. It's too disruptive for him to go anywhere like that, or for me to be away for lengthy periods of time - like a two-week quarantine period."

Ms Stafford said she had come into contact with COVID-positive people throughout the pandemic in a professional capacity.

"But I didn't catch the virus because I follow all of the infection control procedures correctly," she said. "I feel so heartbroken. I feel absolutely let down by the system. I have done everything right.

"And I feel so ripped off that there are people crossing the border illegally, going in with the virus unvaccinated. And here I am, double-vaccinated, and willing to undertake a test and be monitored every day. I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

"Being able to say goodbye with your loved ones helps the grieving process. Having that closure brings a bit of healing. Given it is only a couple of weeks before they open the borders anyway, and no one will have to quarantine, why can't they make an exception?"

A Queensland Health spokesperson said they were unable to comment on individual circumstances, but extended their "deepest condolences to the applicant during this difficult time".

"Exemptions can be difficult decisions and they are not always granted," he said.

"The team must balance care and compassion for individuals while protecting five million Queenslanders.

"Our border restrictions and quarantine policies have been critical in preventing outbreaks.

"It takes just one person with COVID-19 to cross our border to trigger a cluster in our community.

"The Queensland Health exemptions team works incredibly hard, under very difficult circumstances, seven days a week."

He said "hundreds" of exemption requests were made each day.

"We are doing everything we can to process them as quickly as possible," he said.

"All requests are managed on a case-by-case basis, with sensitive and time-critical requests prioritised."

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