NSW Police have been forced to remove hundreds of people from one of Sydney's quarantine hotels after the facility was deemed not up to standard.
The operation to move the 366 travellers from the Travelodge Sydney on Wentworth Avenue came as police reviewed infection control protocols for hotel quarantine staff after two security guards tested positive for COVID-19.
Quarantined travellers have had to exit the Travelodge in Sydney over compliancy issues.Credit:James Brickwood
NSW Health staff were also accompanying auditors for site visits to ensure personal protective equipment is being used correctly after 700 contacts of the first security guard case underwent testing for the virus.
NSW Health also announced on Tuesday night it is investigating two COVID-19 cases who attended a Pitt Street gym on multiple occasions over the past week. The department is advising anyone who attended City Tattersalls Fitness Centre on August 19th, 21st, or 23rd to be alert for symptoms.
People who visited the office building at 300 George Street near Wynyard Station on August 19th 20th, 21st or 24th should also be alert for symptoms, after one of the cases worked there while infectious.
Separately, an alert has been issued by Broadway Sydney Shopping Centre after confirmation a person who tested positive for COVID-19 visited the Apple Store and Kmart on Saturday August 22 between 3.30pm and 5pm.
Mirvac, the property group which owns the shopping centre, sent an email out on Tuesday night saying that both stores in question were undergoing deep cleaning.
“The centre and all other retailers will remain open,” the email said.
Earlier, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the fact only one other person - the second security guard - had subsequently tested positive showed the hotel quarantine operation was working.
"50,000 people through [hotel quarantine], 80,000 shifts in security, and we've had two minor issues," Mr Fuller said.
"We're certainly proud of the hotel operation as it stands, and we believe that success of that operation is one of the primary reasons that NSW is leading COVID-19 not just in Australia, but across the world."
But on Tuesday, one of the regular audits conducted by police found the Travelodge Sydney, one of the 16 quarantine hotels, was not meeting the "high standard of delivery for all travellers", NSW Police said.
"Hotels that do not meet expectations are rotated out of the hotels roster," a police statement said.
The 366 people who had been staying at the Travelodge would be moved to another quarantine hotel. The operation began on Tuesday afternoon and was expected to take up to 12 hours.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government was willing to make changes to protocol if needed.Credit:Jessica Hromas
"The health, safety and comfort of all quarantined travellers remains a top priority for NSW Police," the spokesperson said.
Three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in NSW in the 24-hours to 8pm on Monday. One case was a return traveller, and the other two cases were contacts of previously confirmed cases.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government was "ready and willing to make any changes" to hotel quarantine infection control protocol if needed.
"We have to accept that a pandemic is, unfortunately, unpredictable," she said.
"It relies on everybody doing everything right 100 per cent of the time, and it's extremely challenging."
Mr Fuller said private security formed an important secondary tier for hotel quarantine security, which is run by police with assistance from the defence force.
"They've saved 80,000 police shifts, they’re an important part of the operation. And let's again, be mindful that there's been two incidents," he said.
There are 4185 people quarantined in 16 hotels across Sydney, a NSW Police spokeswoman said.
All police, ADF personnel and private security contractors involved in hotel quarantine received a one-off infection control training session, instructions on the proper use of personal protective equipment and there are daily on-site briefings.
"Further, security officers have ready access to gloves, masks and hand sanitiser, and are instructed to wear PPE at any time when physical distancing is not possible," the spokeswoman said.
In Western Australia, a Perth woman has received the state’s toughest penalty yet for breaching quarantine rules after she hid in a Victorian truck to cross the border.
Asher Van Der Sanden, 28, was sentenced to six months’ jail on Tuesday after hiding in a car within a truck to pass through the border.
Asher Van Der Sanden was sentenced to six months' jail for breaching border restrictions. Credit:Facebook
She was found at her partner’s home in a beachside Perth suburb on August 11 after failing to arrive on her scheduled flight from Melbourne to Perth.
Magistrate Andrew Matthews described the offence as very serious.
"Your actions really undo what this government in WA has done to prevent the community spread of this hideous virus," he said.
Victoria recorded 148 new cases of COVID-19 and a further eight deaths, taking the national death toll to 525.
Facing mounting backlash to a government proposal to extend the state of emergency for an additional 12 months, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said it would not be extended for more than four weeks at a time.
Mr Andrews said it was an "insurance policy" he hoped the state would not have to use.
"I can assure all Victorians - regardless of where they live, regardless of their views on any matter ... these restrictions will be in place for not one day longer than they need to be," he said on Tuesday morning.
Queensland recorded no new cases, but genomic sequencing has now linked the Brisbane Youth Detention cluster with the virus found in two women who returned from Melbourne last month.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said health authorities were hoping to find the "missing link" between the earlier cases and the detention centre outbreak.
"The cases we don't find are the ones that can lead to chains in transmission," she said.
with Marissa Calligeros, Matt Dennien and Matt Bungard
Rachel Clun is a journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Heather McNeill is a senior journalist at WAtoday.
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2020-08-25 10:00:00Z
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