Passengers walk to a hotel quarantine bus from Sydney International Airport.
Photographer: James D. Morgan / Getty Images
Photographer: James D. Morgan / Getty Images
Concerns in Australia about the spread of Covid-19 in quarantine are growing as it has been discovered that three new cases among a family of returned passengers have been passed on to a hotel in Sydney.
The infections, originally recorded as contracted abroad, are believed to have been taken from a family of four in an adjoining room of a quarantine hotel in the city, New South Wales Health said on Sunday. Investigations into how the transmission took place are ongoing, he said.
“All guests staying on the same floor of the hotel have been retested and given negative results,” and staff who worked nearby are isolating themselves and taking tests, New South Wales Health said.
The incident adds to the debate on possible shortcomings in the hotel quarantine system, given the increase more infectious strains of the virus. The new cases also fuel speculation that ventilation systems may contribute to dispersal.
Shadow Health and Aging Minister Mark Butler on Sunday called for quarantined national standards and dedicated facilities outside central business districts. Federal and state leaders will meet strategy on virus response and vaccine launch Monday.
The total number of cases in New South Wales since the beginning of the pandemic is 5,187.