4.30pm
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Department of Health has confirmed that two more individuals linked to the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport have tested positive to coronavirus, as South Australia will shut its border to residents of greater Melbourne from midnight.
In a series of tweets posted on Wednesday afternoon, the Department said a worker and a previous resident who exited the facility on February 7 have tested positive.
The number of cases linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak is now eight.
READ MORE:
The Victoria-SA border closure will not impact regional Victorians, with anyone arriving in SA from greater Melbourne to be locked out from midnight, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said.
The Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport was closed until further notice on Wednesday after another employee and previous resident tested positive for COVID-19 last Tuesday.
About 135 people working at the hotel have been instructed to quarantine at home.
Forty-eight people who were quarantining in the hotel are being transferred to the Pullman Melbourne, where their quarantine will be extended.
Update, 11.40am
Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton said the exposure event is likely related to a medical device called a nebuliser.
A nebuliser is a medical device that vaporises medicines or liquids into a very fine mist.
Dr Sutton said the working hypothesis is if the mist was breathed in and someone was infectious or later tests positive, the virus can be picked up in the mist and suspended in the air.
"We think the exposures are all related to that event," he said. "It makes sense in terms geology and time."
Health minister Martin Foley said testing efforts are being expanded in the Sunbury and Hume areas.
Update, 11.15am
Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed the two new coronavirus cases in Victoria are from the Holiday Inn outbreak.
One case is in a food and beverage worker who last worked on February 4 and tested negative before developing symptoms on February 6. While infectious she visited a number of locations in Sunbury, which have been listed on the Department of Health website.
The other case is a resident of the quarantine program who completed quarantine on February 7 and got tested out of precaution on February 8. That person had been at home and there are no exposure sites linked to them.
Mr Andrews said cases were the highly infectious UK variant which is a significant concern.
"These are, as we know highly infectious - hyper infectious really - and a very significant cause for concern, not just for us but for government and health officials across the county," he said.
"(The evolving strains) are a moving target and that cause significant concern for all of us. These hyper infectious strains are proving difficult to contain, not just today but in the weeks and months ahead.
"It is no reflection on any system, it's simply the fact that this is not a static enemy. It means have to redouble our efforts and do more."
So far 13 households and primary close contacts have been identified and tested as part of the public health rapid response. Five have so far returned negative tests with the remainder of results expected today.
Anyone who spent more than 15 minutes in the hotel between the dats of January 27 and February 9 is considered a primary close contact and asked to isolate for 14 days and get tested.
"It's an abundance of caution and the right thing to do based on public health advice," he said.
"If you have any symptoms, however mild come forward to be tested and do it today."
Mr Andrews also announced the Holiday Inn will close for a terminal clean as a result of the outbreak.
Quarantine residents will be moved to another hotel.
"That is a deep clean to the highest of standards," he said.
The planned increase to 1310 international arrivals per week has also been paused.
Update, 10am
The Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport is closed until further notice after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
About 135 people working at the hotel have been instructed to quarantine at home.
Forty-eight people who were quarantining in the hotel are being transferred to the Pullman Melbourne, where their quarantine will be extended.
"We understand this will be difficult news to receive and will do everything we can do to ensure the health and wellbeing of these residents are supported during their new quarantine period," a COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria spokesperson said.
The case brings the number of Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport staff quarantining at home to about 220, after recent infections at the hotel from February 3 to 7.
More than 950 hotel quarantine staff are quarantining statewide, including close contacts of cases at the Grand Hyatt and Park Royal hotels.
"This is a changing, hyper-infectious virus, which means our quarantine program is constantly reviewed on the basis of expert advice," the COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria spokesperson said.
They said CQV had introduced a suite of measures in quarantine hotels following recent positive cases, including full face shields for staff to wear with masks, staggered mealtimes for residents, and empty rooms between large resident groups.
CQV is understood to be working with an expert to conduct a further review of ventilation in hotel quarantine.
The infected Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport hotel worker is a woman in her 30s, who last worked at the hotel on February 4.
Update, 9.15am
Victoria has recorded two new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.
The two new cases takes the state's active case tally to 16.
In the past 24 hours, 22,849 test results have been received.
Earlier
HEALTH authorities have released a list of exposure sites following news that multiple people connected with a Melbourne hotel have tested positive to COVID-19.
Tests of two people who had been at the Holiday Inn quarantine site yesterday showed several people had contracted the virus.
It follows a worker contracting the UK strain of the virus earlier this week.
The Department of Health has released an initial list of exposure sites and reminded people it is possible that more may emerge as time goes on.
Friday 5th February 2021
- PJ's Pet Warehouse: Sunbury - 3:37pm - 4:10pm
- Bakers Delight - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:40pm - 4:15pm
- Aldente Deli - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:45pm - 4:23pm
- Sushi Sushi - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:53pm - 4:28pm
- Asian Star - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 3:57pm - 4:30pm
Saturday 6th February 2021
- Sunny Life Massage - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre: Sunbury - 4:30pm - 6:30pm
- Cellarbrations: Sunbury - 6:17pm - 7:02pm
Sunday 7th February 2021
- Cellarbrations: Sunbury - 5:44pm - 6:19pm
The Mail Times has removed the paywall from our stories relating to health warnings and safety of the community in regards to the coronavirus. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.