Man sneaks into hotel in yet another quarantine security lapse

An intruder crept into a Melbourne quarantine hotel and wandered around before running away in another alarming security lapse.

An intruder has sneaked into a quarantine hotel in yet another alarming breach in the troubled program.

Police are investigating the attempted burglary at the Intercontinental Hotel in Collins Street after a man was able to walk into the quarantine site, evade detection and run away.

He forced open an emergency door at the hotel on Sunday and wandered around the area before leaving.

The emergence of the security lapse comes after confidential reports leaked this week revealed a litany of breaches, failings and issues in the hotel quarantine system between January and April.

Matiu Bush, COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria’s general manager of infection prevention and control, was stood down on Wednesday after it was revealed in the documents he had refused a test at the Intercontinental and breached mask rules at another hotel.

The state opposition on Thursday ramped up calls for CQV commissioner Emma Cassar to be sacked.

Returning Australian travellers from overseas arrive at the InterContinental Hote in Melbourne for their COVID-19 quarantine period. Picture: Ian Currie

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the intruder had forced open the door to the Intercontinental at about 4pm on Sunday.

“It is not believed he gained access to any rooms during the short time he was in the hotel. He left the scene on foot via the same door,” she said.

A whistleblower in the hotel said colleagues were preoccupied on their phones, with the alarm only raised after eight minutes and as the man was fleeing the scene.

It is understood there have been attempted break-ins at many other city quarantine hotels.

The Andrews government wants to build a purpose-built quarantine facility out at Mickleham, but the project is reliant on federal funding and approval and may not be finalised until late in the year.

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien on Thursday called for Ms Cassar to be sacked.

“She’s more interested acting as a spin doctor protecting the Labor government than she is actually delivering safe outcomes. I have no confidence in Emma Cassar and I don’t think any Victorians would have any confidence,” he said.

The Andrews government backed hotel quarantine boss Emma Cassar. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

But acting premier James Merlino threw his full backing behind the besieged bureaucrat.

“She’s doing an incredible job,” Mr Merlino said.

“This is a very difficult environment. Hotel quarantine, thousands of workers, we’ve got very strict protocols in place. Any breach, any mistake, anyone doing the wrong thing, it’s immediately reported and actioned.”

Emergency Services Minister Danny Pearson, who is responsible for hotel quarantine, described Ms Cassar as an “outstanding public servant”.

“She’s working tirelessly and I think she’s doing a fantastic job,” he said.

When asked whether he anticipated more quarantine workers would be stood down in the coming days, Mr Pearson said he expected all staff to behave properly.

“But this is about making sure that we get the right culture,” he said.

“It’s about making sure that corrective action is undertaken when there are problems and when there are issues, the people continue to have the confidence to speak out if they think something’s going wrong.