Coronavirus: Cops move on Melbourne hotel virus fears

Daniel And­rews says he is confident infection control breaches are not still being perpetuated in his government’s hotel quarantine program.

Police and medical staff in the new hotel quarantine at the Novotel South Wharf in Melbourne’s Southbank on Thursday. Picture: Aaron Francis

Victorian Premier Daniel And­rews says he is confident infection control breaches similar to those that brought about the state’s second wave of coronavirus cases are not still being perpetuated in his government’s hotel quarantine program.

His assurance came despite workers for cleaning and catering company Spotless being stood down mid-shift on Wednesday and replaced with police amid ­infection control concerns.

Victoria ceased receiving international arrivals in late June, as it emerged that a second wave now linked to at least 781 deaths, more than 18,000 infections and a cripplin­g three-month lockdown had been sparked by infection control breaches at two hotels.

However, the Grand Chancellor and Brady hotels in Melbourne’s CBD have more recently been set up as quarantine centres to house vulnerable, largely coronavirus-positive people who cannot isolate at home, under the management of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, with assistance from Alfred Health, Corrections Victoria, Victoria Police and Spotless.

The Grand Chancellor ceased being used as a quarantine hotel on September 14 and the Brady was replaced by the Novotel South Wharf on Monday.

Attributing the move to the Novotel to Metro rail tunnel works near the Brady, a DJCS spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday that Spotless staff at the Novotel were replaced mid-shift on Wednesday by Victoria Police members, but offered no explan­ation for why this occurred.

The intervention followed media inquiries regarding the concerns of a health worker involved in the program, who told Nine Newspapers she feared the practices of Spotless staff could lead to further outbreaks, which could trigger a third wave of coronavirus in Victoria.

It also followed The Austral­ian’s confirmation on Tuesday that nine staff members working at the Brady and Grand Chancellor had been infected since late July, including a staff member from each of the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police, two Alfred Health staff members, and five Spotless workers.

Asked why Victoria Police had replaced Spotless workers mid-shift, the Premier said: “As I understand it, there are a series of different points at which the program­ is changing and evolving and I couldn’t, for instance, as I stand here now, say to you that that is the last change.”

Asked whether he seriously expected­ people to believe the replacement­ of Spotless workers mid-shift was part of a planned transition, Mr Andrews said: “I can’t provide you any further details­ than I have. I’m more than happy to ask the question for you and provide you with what further information I have got.”

Asked about the health worker’s comments that she feared work practices among Spotless staff could spark a third wave — and that “when (international) flights start again, (Victoria) will be screwed” — Mr Andrews said: “There is an unnamed health worker. She is entitled … to have a view, but that’s not the advice that’s been provided to me, in terms of training and in terms of the terms under which those ­people are employed.”

Mr Andrews said he was confid­ent his government had learned from mistakes made in hotel quarantine the first time round, and that similar mistakes were not still being perpetuated.

Asked how he could have that confidence, the Premier attacked the anonymity of the health worker, who chose not to be named out of fear she could lose her job.

“I have got advice,” Mr And­rews said. “When people provide me advice, they actually put their name to it, which I think is really a very important thing.

“I am not having a go at anyone who decides to speak to a journalist — that’s everyone’s right — but I don’t think there’s an equivalence between a comment, as you have taken me to, and the advice that I’ve got from various departments and agencies.

“Again, I am confident that arrange­ments we have in place are vastly different to those which we have all become very well aware of through the work of the (hotel quarantine board of inquiry), but I can’t for a moment stand here and say that the model that operates right now wouldn’t change again, there wouldn’t be further refinements and changes based on practice, based on the recommend­ations of the board.

“All of those things are not yet settled, but I’m confident that’s a secure environment and people are doing the very best they can. The reason I say that, and to your question, is that’s the advice that I’ve got.”

Mr Andrews and Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said they were not aware of any infections in families of hotel quarantine workers or other community members linked to the nine cases, but that they would have to check with DHHS to confirm this.

Professor Cheng said the nine infections were “not part of one big outbreak, because they’re in different times and different ­places, but I understand the investigation is ongoing”.

He said genomic sequencing was under way to help determine any links between those cases and others in the community.

Asked how Victorian authorit­ies could have made an initial ­assessment that all nine cases has most likely been contracted in environm­ents outside hotel quarantine, Professor Cheng said: “I understand some of them live together, and the transmission has occurred within the household.”