Coronavirus NSW: Quarantined hotel guests being urgently moved from Travelodge due to conditions
A woman has told how her dirty quarantine hotel left her pleading for “fresh air” and exacerbated her asthma so badly she threw up.
A hotel guest has told of how her dirty and dusty quarantine hotel left her pleading for “fresh air” and exacerbated her asthma so badly she “vomited”.
Chelsea Thomas, 32, was staying in hotel quarantine at the Travelodge earlier this month and said her hotel room was so dusty she was left pleading with medical staff for fresh air.
It comes as NSW Police today announced almost 400 quarantined travellers would be relocated from a quarantine hotel in Sydney, after an inspection by police found conditions did not meet “expectations”.
NSW Police said in a statement that an inspection of the quarantine hotel “ascertained that one such hotel did not meet the expectations required”. News.com.au understands the hotel with 366 guests identified by police was the Travelodge in Sydney’s CBD.
“I did ask if I could have a room with a window that opened or a balcony because recirculated air affects my asthma … but they didn‘t have the facilities,” Ms Thomas told 9 News. “On day seven it was just so bad while I was trying to exercise, I couldn‘t exercise. I was wheezing all the time, my asthma got so bad I vomited because I was coughing so much.
“The medical staff called every day to see how you‘re doing and … every day I was like, ’Please can I get some fresh air?’
“Every day I was just told no you‘re not allowed to, they don’t allow that here.“
Ms Thomas said she found hair in her bathroom and had no access to sunlight, and was served the same stale sandwiches each day. She said she didn’t mind having to quarantine when she returned from the UK, but expected “human dignity”.
Before the evacuation was announced, another guest had complained of the “unsafe” conditions on Twitter.
“I am devastated to arrive to a hotel where I feel mentally and physically unsafe, after all the effort it took to get here,” guest Lauren Farmer wrote on Twitter.
“I‘m gutted and don’t know what to do.”
This is me and my room. I am devastated to arrive to a hotel where I feel mentally and physically unsafe, after all the effort it took to get here. I'm gutted and don't know what to do. https://t.co/joX1iLwywp
— Lauren Farmer (@laurenfarmer) August 21, 2020
Police said they made the decision to relocate all 366 guests from the hotel to “more suitable accommodation,” a statement read.
“The relocation operation commenced this afternoon and is expected take around 12 hours to complete.
“The health, safety and comfort of all quarantined travellers remains a top priority for NSW Police.”
Police said they run regular audits and reviews of the hotels used in the coronavirus quarantine program “to ensure a high standard of delivery for all travellers required to quarantine at hotels for the minimum 14-day period as instructed by NSW Health”.
“Hotels that do not meet the expectations are rotated out of the hotels roster.”
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A spokesperson for Travelodge said the hotel’s most recent inspection was on July 28 when health authorities and police deemed the hotel compliant, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We are not aware of any subsequent audit, nor are we aware of any COVID-19 related concerns,” the spokesperson said. “The Travelodge Sydney has strict protocols in place around COVID-19 cleaning and these have not been brought into question by the NSW authorities.
“We respect the decisions that authorities need to make in these times and remain committed to supporting them.”
Police said since throughout the program began they’ve been involved in operating up to 20 quarantine hotels, which are managed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More than 50,000 people have been through mandatory quarantine in NSW.
Their regular inspections include checks of infection control practices, security guards and proper use of personal protective equipment.
“It has been an incredibly successful operation, which has dramatically reduced the transmission of COVID-19 throughout the community.”
NSW Police said they’re continuing to work with NSW Health with support from the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission to have “robust infection control measures in place at all quarantine facilities”.
There are health staff at all quarantine hotels in NSW, which are managed by the NSW Police. Also operating in NSW are health hotel quarantine, which are being managed by NSW Health.
Those hotels are for people with COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19, who have a condition which makes being in a police-managed hotel inappropriate.