Park Royal Hotel residents test positive for UK coronavirus in Melbourne

Health authorities are investigating after the highly contagious UK coronavirus variant spread between rooms at a Melbourne quarantine hotel.

Health authorities are investigating possible transmission of the highly contagious UK coronavirus variant between residents at Melbourne’s Park Royal Hotel.

A family of five who arrived on January 20 at the Park Royal Hotel were tested for COVID on January 23 and found to be positive.

A woman in the room across from them, who has been there since January 11, then tested positive to an identical strain on January 27.

Minister police Lisa Neville revealed the “working assumption” was that the viral load of the family of five who were in one of the rooms was “so high” it escaped into the corridor when they opened the door.

“And the only reason that people open doors – there‘s no interaction with staff – is to pick up their food or drop their old laundry out,” she said.

The positive cases have been moved to a health hotel and remain in strict isolation.

CCTV at the Park Royal Hotel will be analysed, as well as a review of the ventilation to understand how the residents contracted the virus.

But Ms Neville said there had appeared to be no breaches of COVID safety protocols.

She also said a ventilation report found there had been no sharing of air between the rooms.

At this stage, residents are not thought to have had contact with staff.