"Newspaper pitches Covid-19 'internment camps’"

"Scotland’s largest newspaper has floated the idea of creating internment camps to forcibly detain residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 or who are 'suspected' of being infected.

The Daily Record tabloid questioned its Facebook followers about the policy on Tuesday, noting that 'Australians are being detained in Covid internment camps for 14 days if they test positive or are suspected positive.' The outlet then asked: 'Should we follow their lead?'

The newspaper didn’t specify how 'suspected' internments might be adjudicated, and whether it would mean locking up those who are spotted sniffling excessively, for example, or citizens who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Last month, the same tabloid reported that 35% of UK residents believe the unimmunized should be forced into lockdown 'until the pandemic has passed,' citing recent polling. It suggested the survey showed strong public support for 'harsher measures' on unvaccinated Scots...

Emulating Australia would take the mitigation program to a prison-like level. When three people last month escaped a Covid-19 quarantine camp near Darwin, police responded with a manhunt to apprehend the internees, even though all three had tested negative for the virus the previous day. Police also set up checkpoints around the internment facility, which used to be a mining camp.

Though the policy has come under fire, Australia appears set to continue it. Last October, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles told Australia’s ABC News that there will be a 'continuing need' for quarantine compounds, partly to accommodate visitors who haven’t had access to vaccines. He added that 'more secure' facilities will be needed for returning Australians who don’t meet the strict criteria to qualify for home isolation."