Australia reports alarming spike in hotel quarantine cases

A worrying spike in hotel quarantine cases across multiple states has sparked fears, now another state has been caught up in the “diabolical” virus threat.

An unsettling trend has emerged across Australia, raising fears the “diabolical” COVID-19 crisis in India could be putting Aussies at risk.

Multiple Aussie states have experienced a sharp spike in hotel quarantine cases over the past few days, with many of the new infections linked to travellers returning from India.

On Wednesday Queensland, which had previously been recording low hotel quarantine infection rates, recorded a sharp rise with nine infected returned travellers confirmed overnight.

In NSW nine new overseas cases were announced in the past 24 hours, a dip from the 12 received on Tuesday.

It followed eight infections the previous day and a massive 18 cases in hotel quarantine on Friday.

South Australia has also seen an increase in hotel quarantine infections, recording 14 new cases on Monday, up from the nine recorded on Friday.

Likewise, the Northern Territory has been battling a wave of international cases, recording four new infections on Monday, 10 on Saturday and 13 on Friday.

Of those quarantine cases, 24 had arrived on flights from India.

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There has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in hotel quarantine across Australia in recent days. Picture: David Geraghty

It follows revelations that Perth’s recent three-day lockdown was sparked by a man who was allowed to travel to India for his wedding before returning to Australia.

Overnight, Western Australia recorded four new hotel quarantine cases, all of which were linked to returned travellers from India. Another case is also under investigation.

Queensland reported two cases in the past 24 hours.

Airborne transmission risk needs to be addressed, says expert

Worryingly, there have been multiple instances of transmission between hotel quarantine guests in recent weeks.

UNSW’s head of biosecurity research, Professor Raina MacIntyre, told news.com.au that airborne transmission, particularly in hotel quarantine settings, poses a serious risk to Aussies.

“The next issue is addressing airborne transmission – sadly, this is denied by the national committee, ICEG, which advises AHPPC,” she said.

“As long as we deny airborne transmission, we cannot stop continual breaches in hotel quarantine. We need to address ventilation, use portable air cleaners, provide hotel quarantine staff with N95 respirators, and select quarantine venues based on the adequacy of ventilation.

Professor MacIntyre said these steps will reduce the ongoing leakages from hotel quarantine, adding “there is more at stake now” as more contagious COVID-19 variants are discovered internationally.

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Crematoriums can’t keep up with the growing dead as mass cremations are held in New Delhi, India. Picture: Jewel Samad/AFP

Numbers of hotel infections expected to rise further

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Premier Mark McGowan said he expects the number of infections in returned travellers to “grow significantly”, after confirming 78 of the 79 passengers on a flight to Perth on Saturday had been in India recently.

“This case and the other four confirmed cases in hotel quarantine all originate from flight MH125 that arrived from Kuala Lumpur into Perth on Saturday, 24 April,” he said.

“I have just been advised at this morning’s emergency management team meeting that 78 of the 79 passengers on this flight had been in India recently.

“Our expectation is the number of positive cases from this group of people will grow and potentially grow significantly.”

Mr McGowan said that he has “enormous sympathy for India” but said the situation is presenting challenges to his state and others.

“It’s obviously a diabolical situation that is going on in India at the moment, but it does put extreme pressure on our systems here in Western Australia and indeed in other states,” he said.

“I’m advised that other states are going through exactly the same experience.”

Morrison suspends flights to and from India

As the situation in India continues to deteriorate, the Australian Government has locked down international borders with India.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has suspended flights to and from the country, after announcing last week that flights from the country would be scaled back by 30 per cent.

“We recognise that this has been a very significant outbreak in India,” the Prime Minister told reporters, off the back of a national security committee meeting on Tuesday morning.

“Today we agreed, in addition to the measures that I announced after the last National Cabinet meeting, to pause direct passenger flights between India and Australia until the 15th of May.”

Professor MacIntyre told news.com.au that pausing international arrivals from India will help reduce hotel quarantine cases, however the Government still needed to offer more help to stranded Aussies.

“In 2020, most cases were people coming from the US and the UK, because the pandemic was severe there and we have a lot of travel from there. Currently the epidemic is severe in India, so reducing travel from India will help,” she said.

“However, a co-ordinated attempt to bring stranded Australians home from wherever they are is needed. At the moment, only people with financial means can come home with ease.

“We had charter flights and dedicated quarantine sites for people coming back from Wuhan last year. We know there are large numbers of stranded Australians all over the world who have been unable to get home – this is a humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed.”