Hotel cluster rooms found with viral fragments

An investigation into a COVID-19 cluster at a Brisbane hotel found no evidence of quarantine or security breaches, but ‘weaknesses in infection control’.

Swabs taken from inside rooms at Brisbane’s Hotel Grand Chancellor where guests tested positive to COVID-19 contained “residual viral fragments”.

One of the rooms had undergone “post-discharge cleaning”, according to a report into last month’s six-person coronavirus cluster at the hotel.

The Hotel Grand Chancellor in Spring Hill, Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The cluster, including a cleaner who worked at the hotel and her partner, triggered a three-day lockdown in Greater Brisbane last month.

“The positive swabs will prompt further detailed review of the room cleaning procedures,” the report said.

“While residual viral fragments inside the rooms of known positives may suggest a need to further review room cleaning procedures, viral absence from all other areas may also indicate that the cleaning of high touch areas in the common areas is effective.”

The report found the cause of the cluster, including four hotel guests, was most likely to be the result of “multiple weaknesses in infection prevention and control”.

Dr Michael Cleary.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the joint Queensland Health-Queensland Police Service report made seven key recommendations for improving training, procedures and hotel quarantine compliance.

Ms D’ath said the Government was determined to learned the lessons outlined in the report, and make the state’s hotel quarantine system even stronger.

“It’s especially important in light of the new, more infectious strains coming in from overseas that we seek further improvements to our hotel quarantine system,” she said.

The review found no evidence of a quarantine breach or that hotel air-conditioning was to blame, but did recommend enhanced PPE training and the reduction of unnecessary movement of people and items into and out of rooms occupied by international travellers.

Queensland Health Director-General John Wakefield said the exact cause of transmission at the Grand Chancellor could not be determined.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said there “no direct breaches in quarantine or security were found and no matters were identified to support any conclusion that offences were committed”.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland had appointed a statewide director of quarantine services, Dr Michael Cleary, after the Grand Chancellor cluster.