NSW Health investigating new Covid-19 hotel quarantine case

Authorities are scrambling to determine how the virus jumped between three returned travellers currently in hotel quarantine in Sydney.

There are fears of a breach in one of Sydney’s quarantine hotels after authorities discovered the virus had jumped between three returned travellers.

NSW Health released an alert on Tuesday night saying they are investigating the source of a Covid-19 case diagnosed in hotel quarantine which has an identical viral sequence to two cases who were staying in an adjacent room.

“It is currently unclear how and where transmission occurred from a couple to another returned traveller who were all staying on the fourth floor of the Radisson Blu quarantine hotel,” NSW Health said.

The cases were quarantining at the Radisson Blu hotel in Sydney. Picture: Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney/Facebook

All three cases have identical viral sequences of the Alpha Covid-19 strain, formerly referred to as the “UK variant”.

The couple were asymptomatic and tested positive to the virus on June 3 during the second day of their hotel quarantine stay.

The other traveller returned a negative Day 2 test on June 3 before subsequently developing symptoms and testing positive for Covid-19 following on June 5.

All three cases arrived into Sydney on the same flight from Doha on June 1 and stayed in adjacent rooms in the quarantine hotel.

They were all transferred to the Special Health Accommodation following their positive test results, where they remain.

A nurse is seen on duty at the Bondi Beach covid testing clinic. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

Health authorities are now scrambling to figure out exactly how transmission between these two parties occurred.

“Early possibilities as to where transmission may have occurred from the couple to the secondary case include on the flight, on transport from the airport to the hotel, in the lobby of the hotel, or while in quarantine,” NSW Health said.

“Currently, there is no evidence of further transmission.”

All returned travellers who were on the same floor of the hotel between June 1 and 5 and have since been discharged are being contacted and asked to get tested and isolate at home until receiving further advice from NSW Health.

Staff who worked on the fourth floor of the hotel between June 1 and June 5 have also been asked to get tested and isolate pending further advice.

All staff working in NSW quarantine hotels undertake regular rapid saliva testing as part of Covid-19 surveillance testing.