Rolling coverage: Five new COVID cases as Holiday Inn cluster grows
Another coronavirus case was confirmed late on Thursday taking the number of new cases in the past 24 hours to five. The Holiday Inn hotel quarantine cluster now stands at 13 cases.
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Two new COVID-19 cases have been linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak, taking the hotel quarantine cluster to 13.
Five new cases emerged as part of the Holiday Inn outbreak on Thursday, including the husbands of two food and beverage attendants who worked at the Melbourne Airport hotel.
In an 11pm tweet, the Department of Health confirmed the latest two cases were “household primary close contacts” of existing cases.
It marked the first cases of transmission outside the quarantine system.
On Thursday night the Herald Sun revealed authorities fear Victoria is on the brink of the third COVID-19 wave with high-level discussions on Thursday night under way regarding the introduction of a snap lockdown.
Victoria’s testing commander, Jeroen Weimar, said it was still “early days” in the outbreak.
“This is by no means over, we are still in the opening quarter of the Holiday Inn outbreak I’m afraid,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to really make sure we pull this one up.
“What is more challenging with this one is it’s the UK variant so we don’t yet know how easily it transmits when you get into the second and third generation of people catching it. That’s going to be the challenge for us now and over the coming days.”
EXCLUSIVE: SNAP LOCKDOWN TALKS AS VICTORIA ON THE BRINK OF THIRD WAVE
Authorities have deemed 400-500 people close contacts of confirmed cases, including Holiday Inn workers, returned travellers who were staying there and people linked to exposure sites.
The original COVID-positive family that triggered the outbreak were transferred from the Holiday Inn to a medi-hotel on February 4.
The health department said anyone at the hotel for more than 15 minutes between January 27 and February 9 was considered a primary close contact and was urged to self-isolate, get a test and stay in isolation for 14 days.
Camberwell Grammar was closed on Thursday as a non-teaching staff member had tested positive. It is not clear whether that member was among the 13.
Mr Weimar said on Thursday contact tracing efforts were being focused on the Sunbury area. Several businesses were listed as exposure sites.
The health department said anyone at the hotel for more than 15 minutes between January 27 and February 9 was considered a primary close contact and was urged to self-isolate, get a test and stay in isolation for 14 days.
A community meeting was held in Sunbury on Wednesday night and Mr Weimar said contact tracing efforts were focused on that area.
Patrons who visited at the same time as an infected food and beverage worker were told to get tested and isolate.
Authorities had issued an alert on Wednesday night for the broader Sunbury Square Shopping Centre, asking anyone who visited from 3.40pm to 4.30pm on February 4, to get tested and isolate until they get a negative result. An osteopathic clinic in Avondale Heights in the city’s northwest was among the sites visited by one COVID-positive case, however was not included on the exposure sites as all clients were contacted directly.
DHHS EXPANDS VIRUS TESTING
The Health Department scaled up its testing effort on Thursday.
New sites include:
Connect Health, Brighton Public Golf Course, Brighton
Eastern Health, East Ringwood Reserve (former Maroondah Club), East Ringwood
Gisborne Senior Citizens Centre, Gisborne
Old Masters Site Sunbury
Sunbury Memorial Hall, Sunbury
Knox Private Hospital (North carpark above new ED), Wantirna
For more information on testing sites, visit dhhs.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19
QLD TIGHTENS VIC BORDER
It comes as Queensland announced any Victorians entering the state will have to complete a border declaration pass.
Those entering Queensland will be forced to declare if they have or haven’t visited any of the exposure sites revealed by Victorian health authorities.
The new border restriction will come into effect from 1am on Saturday.
South Australia partially closed its border to Victoria on Thursday, banning all metropolitan Melbourne residents from entering the state.
Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said one of the cases was linked with waste water surveillance data which showed traces of COVID-19 in Coburg, Pascoe Vale and Reservoir on Wednesday.
“That does put into context that unexpected waste water detection that the Minister for Health spoke of yesterday in that it’s now being revealed that it’s been linked to one of those two new cases that have emerged in the last 24 hours,” Ms Allen said.
Sewage testing uncovered “a number of unexpected detections” of virus fragments in Coburg and Reservoir on Wednesday.
Health Minister Martin Foley urged anyone who lives in or who visited those suburbs in the 72 hours to February 6, and who has symptoms, to get tested immediately.
“Unexpected” virus fragments have also been found in the catchment covering Glenroy, Broadmeadows, Westmeadows and Roxburgh Park, but those could be linked to known cases.
“We need to ask the people of Hume, Moreland and Darebin to stay extra alert, check for exposure sites and if you have symptoms, please get tested,” Mr Foley said.
All 20 testing facilities across Melbourne have increased operations on Thursday to ensure more people could get tested.
A new drive-through testing site in Sunbury — in the former Masters carpark on the corner or Vineyard Rd and McDougall Rd — was opened on Thursday morning.
HOLIDAY INN CLUSTER EXPLAINED
Three workers and two residents, both released from quarantine before testing positive, have now been diagnosed with coronavirus as part of the ballooning Holiday Inn cluster.
A family of three, one of whom is now being treated in intensive care, has been identified as the epicentre of the outbreak at the Melbourne airport hotel.
The person who tested positive on Wednesday had been released from quarantine on Sunday.
They had visited the Commonwealth and HSBC banks in Glen Waverley, with those locations now listed as exposure sites.
The growing outbreak has renewed pressure on Victoria’s hotel quarantine system, with more than 950 workers now in isolation.
As well as the Holiday Inn outbreak, a worker at the Grand Hyatt was infected and a resident caught the virus from a family quarantining across the hall at the Park Royal.
A Holiday Inn food and beverage attendant developed symptoms on Saturday.
But she was only tested on Tuesday, after being notified she was a close contact of another case.
The worker visited seven sites in Sunbury, including a Bakers Delight, a Cellabrations and a sushi store, with other patrons now being ordered to get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Seven of her 13 social and household contacts have tested negative, with the others’ results still pending.
MORRISON BACKS HEALTH AUTHORITIES
Scott Morrison has confidence that Victoria will be able to get on top of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the help of federal authorities.
The Prime Minister said his presence in Melbourne was the clearest display of how he felt about the situation
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t confident,” Mr Morrison said.
“I have just flown down from Sydney today. Business as usual for me being in Melbourne here today.”
He said federal authorities had helped when Victoria “hit the wall” during the second wave last year and his government would work with the Andrews government to deal with the new challenges the year had thrown up.
Mr Morrison would not be drawn on which state had the best virus response at the moment.
“I’m more interested in how they are doing things on the ground,” Mr Morrison said.
“We’re putting significant support into support the Victorian government here as we did when Victoria hit the wall in the middle of last year.
“We worked with them to get Victoria out of that situation. We will work through them on this situation.
EXPOSURE SITE LOCATIONS GROW
The latest cases have sent contact tracers scrambling to identify any exposure sites and close contacts.
Shoppers who visited Sunbury Square Shopping Centre last Friday afternoon are being urged to get a COVID-19 test.
The updated advice was issued by health officials on Wednesday night.
The warning was specifically for anyone who was at the shopping centre between 3.40pm and 4.30pm that day, the Department of Health said.
The Department said it was “taking a precautionary approach” after several businesses at the shopping precinct were listed as exposure sites.
“Individuals who attended the shopping centre outside of this timeframe are not considered at risk, but should monitor for symptoms and immediately present for testing if they become unwell,” the Department’s statement said.
Forty-eight residents were evacuated from the Holiday Inn on Wednesday and moved to the Pullman Hotel.
Those scheduled to finish their quarantine in the next three days will be required to stay another three, with authorities considering extending that for another fortnight.
The Holiday Inn will now undergo “terminal cleaning” as authorities brace for more positive cases.
Mr Andrews defended Victoria’s system, a day after dubbing it the best in the nation, saying: “There are no private contractors, we are ripping up carpet for heaven’s sake and replacing it with vinyl in a range of common areas. We test everybody every day.”
Opposition spokesman David Davis slammed the quarantine program. “Gold standard, it is not,” he said. “Daniel Andrews is a spin merchant.”
On Wednesday afternoon, just before the latest cases emerged, South Australia’s Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he planned to order the Victorian border closed from midnight — but said a final decision depended on advice from SA Health.
He said anyone who had been in greater Melbourne would not be allowed into SA after midnight unless they had an exemption, were a returning resident or were relocating. They would need to quarantine for 14 days.
AMA VIC CHIEF SLAMS USE OF NEBULISERS
The chief of the Australian Medical Association in Victoria has slammed the use of the device thought to be responsible for the latest COVID-19 outbreak.
The state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton revealed on Wednesday a nebuliser – a device that vaporises liquid into fine mist – was believed to be behind the spread of coronavirus at the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn quarantine hotel.
The outbreak has now infected eight people after two new cases were announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The cases include a food and beverage worker and authorised officer based at the hotel, three other workers and three residents.
DRIVER KILLED IN HORROR SMASH ON VICTORIAN-SA BORDER
A multiple truck collision has led to the death of at least one driver on the Western Highway on the Victoria-South Australian border at Serviceton on Thursday morning.
Police said a truck crashed into the rear of a stationary truck just before 2.30am on Thursday, with the stationary truck then colliding with a third truck in front of it.
The border was closed to anyone travelling from the Melbourne area by the South Australian government at midnight due to the COVID outbreak at the Holiday Inn.
All three trucks caught fire and the driver of the first truck, a man who is yet to be identified, died at the scene.
Emergency crews are still on scene and police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Police say the Western Highway is expected to be closed for an extended period of time, with traffic diversions in place.
Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said she was aware of the crash reports and that accidents were tragic under any circumstance.
The government are now seeking more detail.
“I haven’t received any update in terms of what would be the cause of that accident, I would have to leave an update until we have that advice,” she said
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Originally published as Rolling coverage: Five new COVID cases as Holiday Inn cluster grows
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