Two hotels source of second wave as 'inappropriate' advice to guards revealed - The Age

Almost all of Victoria's second coronavirus wave can be traced to travellers quarantined at two Melbourne hotels: the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza.

Genomic sequencing of Victoria's COVID-19 clusters by the Doherty Institute presented to the state's quarantine hotels inquiry on Monday confirmed returned travellers were the source of more than 99 per cent of the state's current COVID-19 cases.

Professor Ben Howden speaks during the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry.

The Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza were the only quarantine hotels to record major outbreaks and the sequencing data presented to the inquiry shows those began with international travellers in May and early June and peaked in July and early August, when the state was recording its worst coronavirus infection numbers.

Professor Ben Howden, head of the Doherty Institute’s genomic sequencing unit, told the inquiry that their genomic sample provided a sufficient cross-section to be confident that all of Victoria’s second wave was linked to returned travellers.

"What I could say, a high-level statement would be, that over 99 per cent of all current cases in Victoria for which we have genome sequences, are derived from those [genomic sequences]," Professor Howden said.

Victoria recorded 25 more deaths and 282 new cases of coronavirus on Monday in what was the deadliest single day of the pandemic. Infectious diseases experts expect daily death tolls to remain high in coming days, reflecting the large number of new infections recorded at the height of the second wave.

A total of 334 Victorians have died as a result of coronavirus and as of Monday there were 7474 active cases in the state.

The $3 million inquiry into the hotel quarantine system, set up by the Andrews government and led by former judge Jennifer Coate, also heard on Monday that Department of Health and Human Services advice to guards at quarantine hotels was "inappropriate" for use in a high-risk setting.

In training notes shown to the inquiry, and according to other leaked DHHS documents seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, guards were told that masks and protective equipment were not necessary provided they maintained a 1.5 metre distance from returned travellers.

While the early stages of the second wave were beginning, the DHHS memos to security guards in May and June show guards and returned travellers were only required to wear a face mask "if tolerated".

DHHS' advice on PPE dated June 8.

In the memos, leaked to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald before parts were shown in the inquiry on Monday, guards were advised that they did not need to use protective equipment when dealing with clients in the lobby, on floors of the hotel, talking though shared doorways or on rooftop exercise breaks so long as they stayed 1.5 metres apart.

If guards could not guarantee they could keep that distance apart, they were instructed to wear a surgical face mask and practise good hand hygiene.

"Effective hand hygiene is the single most important strategy in preventing infection," the DHHS documents advised.

The advice for security staff appears to make no distinction between hotel guests who had tested positive to coronavirus and those who had tested negative.

The advice did not change after the first hotel outbreak at Carlton’s Rydges on Swanston in late May. A second outbreak at the Stamford Plaza in Melbourne’s CBD was discovered on June 21.

Professor Lindsay Grayson gives evidence at the inquiry into Victoria's hotel quarantine program via video link on Monday.

The department's advice was labelled as inappropriate by one of Victoria's top infectious disease experts, Professor Lindsay Grayson.

"You would regard that to be inappropriate advice?" asked Arthur Moses, QC, who is representing Unified Security, one of three companies contracted to Victoria's quarantine hotels.

"Yes, I do," Professor Grayson replied.

Professor Grayson, the director of infectious diseases at Austin Health, also said parts of the federal government's training module that security guards completed were misleading and inaccurate.

"It was the complete opposite of what we teach regarding PPE," he said.

One question read: "Everyone should be wearing a mask to prevent COVID-19, true or false?"

If the participant answered "true", a pop-up box would say, "You did not select the correct response", the inquiry heard.

Under another section titled "What about masks?", the guide stated, "Wearing a face mask in public won't help to protect you from infection".

Professor Grayson said he assumed the document was designed for community education, because at the time masks were not mandatory, rather than for quarantine staff.

"I think clearly this is misleading for healthcare workers or quarantine staff if they thought they didn't need to wear a mask, when I would consider it crucial if they were in likely contact with a potentially infectious patient," he said.

The training module was not updated until July 25. Compulsory face-coverings were introduced across the state for the general public in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire on July 22 and the whole of Victoria from August 2.

Tony Neal, QC, speaking at the Victorian hotel quarantine inquiry via video link on Monday.

Earlier, counsel assisting the inquiry, Tony Neal, QC, said the government's quarantine program was initially set up in 48 hours.

"Decisions were made very quickly and in the absence, it seems, of precise lines of responsibility, control, supervision and management," he said.

Executives from the security companies contracted at short notice by the government to patrol the hotels told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald earlier this month that they did not know who from government was running the quarantine program.

Inquiry hearings continue on Tuesday with evidence from DHHS epidemiologist Dr Charles Alpren, who is expected to talk about how transmission occurred from hotel quarantine to the community.

Mr Neal confirmed government ministers would be called to give evidence before the inquiry delivers its findings on November 6.

The hearings are expected to run Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

Hotel inquiry legal line-up

• Tony Neal, QC, the lead lawyer acting for the inquiry, also known as the counsel assisting
• Claire Harris, QC, for the Department of Health and Human Services
• Helen Tiplady, representing the Department of Justice and Community Safety
• Richard Attiwill, QC, representing the Department of Premier and Cabinet
• Andrew Woods, representing Rydges Hotels Limited
• Stephen Palmer, representing the Melbourne Hotel Group
• Julie Condon, QC, representing the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
• Arthur Moses, SC, representing Unified Security

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMijAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L3BvbGl0aWNzL3ZpY3RvcmlhL3R3by1ob3RlbHMtc291cmNlLW9mLXNlY29uZC13YXZlLWFzLWluYXBwcm9wcmlhdGUtYWR2aWNlLXRvLWd1YXJkcy1yZXZlYWxlZC0yMDIwMDgxNy1wNTVtbDguaHRtbNIBjAFodHRwczovL2FtcC50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L3BvbGl0aWNzL3ZpY3RvcmlhL3R3by1ob3RlbHMtc291cmNlLW9mLXNlY29uZC13YXZlLWFzLWluYXBwcm9wcmlhdGUtYWR2aWNlLXRvLWd1YXJkcy1yZXZlYWxlZC0yMDIwMDgxNy1wNTVtbDguaHRtbA?oc=5

2020-08-17 13:45:00Z
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