Exposure sites announced after returned traveller, quarantine staffer test positive at Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn

Victorian residents have been urged to check new exposure sites after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive after attending several venues.

Victoria is facing an emerging outbreak in a quarantine hotel after a second worker at the Holiday Inn quarantine site and a returned traveller who has already completed quarantine tested positive to COVID-19.

It comes as Victoria’s Department of Health released new exposure sites overnight, warning residents to “immediately isolate, get tested and remain isolated for 14 days” if they had attended.

The quarantine returned traveller had already completed quarantine and left the facility on Sunday.

She got tested after an initial hotel quarantine staff member in her 50s tested positive on Sunday to the virus – found later to be the more infectious UK strain.

Her result came out as positive on Tuesday, despite testing negative a number of times during her 14-day quarantine.

Late on Tuesday, Health Minister Martin Foley also confirmed a food and beverage worker at the quarantine hotel has also tested positive.

“It’s early days but it would appear that it was one particular floor,” he said.

EXPOSURE SITES

After interviews with the hotel quarantine worker with health officials, initial exposure sites and times were released at around midnight.

“If you have been at any of these exposure site during the specified times, you are required to immediately isolate, get tested and remain isolated for 14 days,” the health department said.

Friday 5th February

- PJ’s Pet Warehouse: Sunbury - 3:37pm – 4:10pm

- Bakers Delight - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:40pm - 4:15pm

- Aldente Deli - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:45pm - 4:23pm

- Sushi Sushi - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:53pm - 4:28pm

- Asian Star - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:57pm – 4:30pm

Saturday 6th February

- Sunny Life Massage – Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 4:30pm - 6:30pm

- Cellarbrations: Sunbury - 6:17pm - 7:02pm

Sunday 7th February 2021

- Cellarbrations: Sunbury - 5:44pm - 6:19pm

The Department of Health and Human Services said past residents of the Holiday Inn who completed their quarantine period on Sunday must now isolate for 14 days.

“We are in contact with this group. This will come as difficult news to them, but we are being as cautious as possible in our response to this outbreak,” the department tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

They warned more exposure sites may be identified as investigations continue.

BRETT SUTTON’S WARNING TO AUSSIES

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton warned Australians that similar cases could be seen across the country and that the problem was not specific to Victoria.

“This is an issue for quarantine across the board, in Victoria, across Australia, and really in any country that’s got a formal hotel quarantine system,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“We will continue to maintain our focus on understanding what’s gone and doing every thing necessary to make it right.

“Cases can happen any where, at any time, and they can happen without a breach of protocol or without any particular errors being made. We are talking about an incredibly infectious virus.

“This is a risk across Australia. Just because it’s happened in Victoria at this point in time doesn’t mean that the risk is not an issue in any form of quarantine system really across the world.”

DH was notified today of a resident of the Hotel Quarantine facility at Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport who has tested positive to coronavirus (COVID-19) after completing their 14-day quarantine. A strong public health response is underway, building on measures already in place.

— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 9, 2021

NSW HEALTH UPDATES ADVICE

NSW Health also updated its advice for people who were at the Holiday Inn, following the diagnosis of more cases in the hotel.

Anyone who worked or stayed on any floor of the hotel between 27 January and 9 February is now considered a close contact who must get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result, it said.

“The previous advice was that only people who had been on the third floor were close contacts.”

NSW Health has updated its advice for people who were at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport recently, following the diagnosis today of two more cases in the hotel. pic.twitter.com/FWCPzze77W

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) February 9, 2021

Victoria’s health department says a public health response is underway, and the individual is being interviewed.

Authorities say there is minimal risk to the public as the cluster now stands at three.

“Early indications are that the individual has not left her home since exiting Hotel Quarantine on 7 February, other than to obtain a test in a COVIDsafe setting,” the department tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

Updates to any exposure sites, primary close contacts and other information will be provided as soon as it’s known.

The issues we’re seeing across Australia are reflective of an increased risk with the new Variants of Concern (VOCs) - and Victoria looks forward to participating in the AHPPC’s end-to-end review of hotel quarantine that was announced earlier today. https://t.co/liVM7JRmKB

— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) February 9, 2021

‘WORKING THEORY’ OVER TRANSMISSION

Before the newest cases were announced, Premier Daniel Mr Andrews earlier said there was a “working theory” and “very significant concerns” regarding aerosol transmission of the highly infectious strains within hotels.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the Holiday Inn worker was infected with the UK strain. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“They do present us with a very significant challenge,” the Premier said of the highly infectious variants.

“Out of the Holiday Inn, the CCTV footage review, from all the other checking that we do, there’s no obvious infection prevention and control breach.

“It’s not like someone’s obviously done the wrong thing, and that’s a significant concern to us.”

Health authorities are also hoping genomic sequencing will help provide some insights into how the first worker at the Holiday Inn, who wore full personal protective equipment, including a surgical mask and face shield, became infected.

At least 136 hotel quarantine workers at the Holiday Inn had been identified as primary close contacts and were told to isolate and get tested before the second worker tested positive.

A number of potential public exposure sites have also been identified in Melbourne’s northwest suburbs with anyone who has visited the “tier 1” sites during the times listed is required to immediately isolate, get tested and remain isolated for 14 days from the time they were at the site.

The Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn where a quarantine worker has tested positive to coronavirus. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Testing capacity near exposure sites in Melbourne’s northwest is also being enhanced.

It comes after another hotel quarantine worker – a 26-year-old man from Noble Park based at the Australian Open quarantine program – also returned a positive COVID-19 test result last Wednesday.

Genomic sequencing confirmed he had also been infected with the UK strain.

The health department said more than 61,000 Victorians had been tested since Thursday morning.