Coronavirus: NSW hotel quarantine at issue in exposures

A NSW healthcare worker has become the third case of exposure arising out of contact with overseas travellers in the past month.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says such leakage was to be expected from time to time when workers were so closely exposed to overseas travellers and aircrew. Picture: Gaye Gerard

A healthcare worker suspected of contracting COVID-19 through the NSW hotel quarantine program has become the third case of exposure arising out of contact with overseas travellers in the past month, raising concerns on the integrity of the regime.

The nurse’s infection was detected among eight fresh cases of the virus recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, with investigations continuing into whether her illness could be linked to an overseas strain of the virus or one identified locally.

Officials said further information on the matter would be provided on Wednesday morning when further COVID-19 data would be released ahead of a decision about whether or not to ease restrictions on the northern beaches.

It is believed the nurse, from western Sydney, contracted the virus while transporting a family from the airport to their quarantine location. They were symptomatic for the virus at the time of their contact.

On December 2, a cleaner who had worked at the Novotel and the Ibis at Darling Harbour tested positive to the virus.

Two weeks later, a bus driver shuttling flight crews from the airport to their hotel locations tested positive.

Officials said neither the cleaner nor the bus driver had passed on the virus to their close contacts, and neither case had been linked to the outbreak that emerged at Avalon.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said such leakage was to be expected from time to time when workers were so closely exposed to overseas travellers and aircrew.

Ms Berejiklian defended the breaches by pointing to the high number of people who had ­successfully isolated within Sydney’s hotel quarantine program.

“I don’t think any system can ever guarantee that we won’t have transmission events,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“I think it’s inevitable these ­issues will arise.

“We try as best we can to minimise them but it is about the response and actions of individuals coming through.”

Last week, the NSW government said it would be strengthening some aspects of its quarantine program by limiting the number of hotels that could be used by aircrews flying into Sydney.

These rules, which see crew members restricted to quarantining in two hotels near the airport, came into effect on Tuesday.

Previously, these airline workers were housed across up to 26 hotels, Ms Berejiklian said. They had also been able to apply for exemptions that would enable them to self-isolate at locations of their choice.

Figures obtained by The Australian show NSW has taken 89,574 returning travellers into hotel quarantine since March 28, amounting to more than half of the 175,854 returning travellers that have arrived in Australia.

It has also taken more interstate residents than any other jurisdiction, with the cumulative interstate figure now sitting at 42,084.

Health officials remain uncertain as to the cause of the latest outbreak on Sydney’s northern beaches although genomic testing has linked some infections to a virus strain detected in a woman travelling from the US on December 1.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said on Monday this testing was not a “perfect match”.

However, it gave officials a line of inquiry to follow, along with a working theory of how the virus mysteriously emerged in the northern beaches suburb of ­Avalon.