Shannon Deery: No room for failure in third shot at hotel quarantine

Victorians deserve the security of knowing that we’re not another quarantine blunder away from the next lockdown. There can be no more excuses.

They say third time’s a charm.

Well, that’s good news for those behind the state’s third shot at hotel quarantine.

Because if it fails again, heads must roll.

There can be no more excuses for any failings with the $1 million-a-day program.

Too much is on the line.

Victorians have done it so tough, for so long, but have pulled through.

We’re now at 27 days without recording any new cases of coronavirus.

For all intents and purposes we’ve eradicated COVID-19 and life is almost back to normal.

Now we deserve the security of knowing that we’re not another quarantine error away from the next onerous lockdown.

We can be sure that COVID-19 will return to Victoria.

Victorians are entitled to be nervous about the latest hotel quarantine effort. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Almost certainly it will touch down here shortly after international flights return to Melbourne from April 8.

The challenge then will be to contain it.

It’s a challenge that has been too great for authorities to meet until now.

The first shot at the quarantine program was an unmitigated disaster.

Not only did it spark the state’s deadly second wave, it led to a major inquiry that uncovered scores of critical failings.

Chief among them, the fact that the program was just too hastily put together meaning nobody had stopped to sufficiently consider the impact on public health and the spread of coronavirus.

The much lauded rebooted system failed too.

Ventilation systems are now being blamed for causing the virus to again leak out of quarantine into the community.

Just three hotels, of 19, are now ready to start accepting travellers following ventilation assessments.

This from the system that was lauded as “gold standard” just days before being abruptly shut.

Now Victoria must settle for nothing less than gold standard.

We’ve had a multimillion-dollar inquiry to iron out the problems.

We’ve had a second chance to get it right.

Victorians should expect nothing less than perfect on this third time around.

[e-mail]