Coronavirus Victoria: Quarantine crackdown after new case at Holiday Inn in Melbourne

Strict new rules will be brought in for hotel quarantine guests and staff following the latest positive case in Victoria.

Major changes have been made to Victoria’s quarantine system after another case or coronavirus made its way out of a hotel and into the community.

The authorised officer at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport tested positive on Sunday, sparking an investigation and a further crackdown on the already tough system.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said on Monday changes were continuing to be made to the hotel quarantine program as cases came to light.

Airconditioning is being reviewed, although the minister says she is confident of engineering reports showing no sharing of air between rooms or into common areas.

“Again we’ve got an occupational physician who’s coming in with the engineering team to have a look to see if there‘s anything else with airconditioning or any risk there,” she said.

Meals and other deliveries to individual doors have been staggered and face shields with surgical masks are being used for all staff.

Staff will also start being tested on their days off, starting from Monday.

A quarantining returned traveller at the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“All these changes are about continuing to make the necessary adjustments to the program as new evidence comes to light, as we see different sorts of transmission occurring in our program,” Ms Neville said.

“Our key aim here is to not just have a robust hotel quarantine program but a robust outbreak management team and contact-tracing system.

“I think we’re seeing those, we have seen that with the Grand Hyatt and we’re seeing it again with this case – they moved very quickly last night when that positive case came in late last evening.”

A delivery driver speaks to a worker from the Holiday Inn on Flinders Lane in Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

About 80 hotel quarantine staff, plus nine police and a dozen army personnel, are isolating following the quarantine worker’s diagnosis.

The COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria staff had been stood down or were in isolation and had to be tested, Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said on Monday.

They will have to isolate for 14 days from the time of potential exposure.

Three exposure sites have also been listed and an initial 15 people identified as primary close contacts.

Ms Neville said it did not appear there had been any breach by the hotel quarantine worker.

The worker is being interviewed about their activity, and genomic testing is under way.

“When we had a look through just this person’s engagement with people as they enter the hotel, as they exit the hotel, as they get moved to health hotels, it appears that there’s no breach in that engagement in terms of how close they were, in terms of touching things, in terms of not using infection prevention and control,” Ms Neville said.

There are 20 active cases in Victoria.

A pathology employee is seen arriving at the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

INITIAL EXPOSURE SITES AND TIMES INCLUDE:

Friday, February 5:

• Marciano’s Cakes: Maidstone – 9.45am – 10.25am
• Dan Murphy’s: Sunshine – 5.50pm – 6.30pm

Saturday, February 6:

• Off Ya Tree Watergardens: Taylors Lakes – 1.17pm – 1.52pm
• Dan Murphy’s: Sunshine – 6.50pm – 7.30pm

Anyone who has been at an exposure site in the specified times must immediately isolate, get tested and stay isolated for 14 days.