“Often he rings and he wants to come home and he asks me to come and get him. It’s so hard to tell my son ‘I can’t come and get you,darling,I’m not allowed’. Basically,I’ve just got to wait until we find what happens with these border closures and if an exemption gets accepted.”

She claimed Queensland Health told her “it’s not of a compassionate ground”.

Memphis’ grandmother Alex told the radio station they would drive him to the border town of Goondiwindi if he was allowed to isolate at home rather than ending up in hotel quarantine.

She said they can’t tell a three-year-old “he’s not allowed” to go home because “then it might be that he thinks his parents don’t want him”.

The boy’s grandfather said they lived “in the middle of nowhere” in the bush and Memphis had not been near anyone else.

Ms Facer,from her home in Howard,told Nine’sToday show she would be willing to have police check on her in isolation every day.

“I’m not going to move,I’ll do anything and everything I possibly can just to get my son home,it’s cruel.”

LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli had earlier quizzed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in question time on the snap decision and Ms Facer’s inability to get an exemption on compassionate grounds to bring her son home.

“I’m advised that the exemptions unit have spoken to his parents,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “And they are … processing and talking to them about that exemption.”

The Morning Edition newsletter is your guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights.Sign up here.