Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[jakeseven7]

But we are not allowed to choose which hotel we prefer to be in

Say you are allergic to the bedding Sofitel uses....

That Sofitel in Sydney seems to be an ongoing issue, they should probably just shut that one down.

 

[Lynda2475]

NSW are getting a few more hotels as lots of posts on Hamilton group about people travelling from interstate to see the show having reservations cancelled as hotels becoming HQ.

 

[jakeseven7]

NSW are getting a few more hotels as lots of posts on Hamilton group about people travelling from interstate to see the show having reservations cancelled as hotels becoming HQ.

Perhaps the death knell has sounded then for the troubled Sofitel.....

 

[lovetravellingoz]

But we are not allowed to choose which hotel we prefer to be in

Yes, I meant if I had a choice.

 

[nutwood]

Hotel room doors are not well sealed. So whenever there is a pressure difference there will be air movement. So in effect the door is always open, but at times it is more open.

This is very true. I have stayed in hotels where the imbalance was sufficiently large that I've had to jam pillows along the bottom of the door to suppress the whistling noise.
From memory, the last time this occurred, air was entering the room, so the system was pulling air from the room and returning it elsewhere in greater quantities than it was supplying to the room. Presumably, if the fault was the other way, there'd be complaints as people wouldn't be able to open their doors. Doesn't take much pressure difference to hold a door shut.

 

[RooFlyer]

The first international (Pacific Islander) workers destined for Victoria arrived in Tasmania today for their quarantine period, as part of the deal with Victoria where we take their fruit pickers and they take our share of the standard international arrivals. Not sure how the second bit is going, though ....

 

[Pushka]

The first international (Pacific Islander) workers destined for Victoria arrived in Tasmania today for their quarantine period, as part of the deal with Victoria where we take their fruit pickers and they take our share of the standard international arrivals. Not sure how the second bit is going, though ....

A delay seems to be inevitable with the Premier being off for 6 weeks. Unless he is prepared to make decisions during that time, no one else will. Does Tas need any fruit pickers? They could also come over to SA as we are in desperate need and will shortly do the same thing from safe countries.

 

[drron]

A delay seems to be inevitable with the Premier being off for 6 weeks. Unless he is prepared to make decisions during that time, no one else will. Does Tas need any fruit pickers? They could also come over to SA as we are in desperate need and will shortly do the same thing from safe countries.

Sorry but this is a failure of the SA Government.Tasmania was ahead of the curve and were having charter flights arriving from Timor Leste and then the Pacific Islanders in time for the cherry season and then the berries and other fruit and veggies.
Why didn't SA try and come to the same sort of arrangement as Victoria?I am not sure if it was TAS offering or Victoria asking but made great sense.
The Tassie Premier has been very good at managing Covid apart from being a little timid with the borders.Arriving into Tassie on 5/4/20 the arrival process was easy and efficient and certainly initially better than QLD though they have improved.

 

[Pushka]

Sorry but this is a failure of the SA Government.Tasmania was ahead of the curve and were having charter flights arriving from Timor Leste and then the Pacific Islanders in time for the cherry season and then the berries and other fruit and veggies.
Why didn't SA try and come to the same sort of arrangement as Victoria?I am not sure if it was TAS offering or Victoria asking but made great sense.
The Tassie Premier has been very good at managing Covid apart from being a little timid with the borders.Arriving into Tassie on 5/4/20 the arrival process was easy and efficient and certainly initially better than QLD though they have improved.

SA is doing exactly this now in time for the citrus season. But within SA. It's also trying to co-ordinate bringing in overseas students.

Are you sure Tas was actually open to doing a deal with anyone but the Vics?

 

[jakeseven7]

SA is doing exactly this now in time for the citrus season. But within SA. It's also trying to ordinate bringing in overseas students.

Are you sure Tas was actually open to doing a deal with anyone but the Vics?

Given TAS is pretty much a subsidiary of VIC, probably not!

 

[RooFlyer]

Are you sure Tas was actually open to doing a deal with anyone but the Vics?

I’m not aware that they were in the discussions with anyone except Victoria. I think this made sense that after their outbreak inquiry, they reckon they had the best hotel quarantine system and we were happy to look after low risk fruit pickers from The Pacific Islands. Tasmania is still getting its own fruit pickers from Pacific Islands as well as those who are going to move onto Victoria After their quarantine.

Here in Tasmania its the fruit growers putting up most of the money for flights and the hotel quarantine of the pickers and in some cases they do the most arranging. It’s just the government That facilitates the hotel quarantine part of it.

 

[Pushka]

I’m not aware that they were in the discussions with anyone except Victoria. I think this made sense that after their outbreak inquiry, they reckon they had the best hotel quarantine system and we were happy to look after low risk fruit pickers from The Pacific Islands. Tasmania is still getting its own fruit pickers from Pacific Islands as well as those who are going to move onto Victoria After their quarantine.

Here in Tasmania its the fruit growers putting up most of the money for flights and the hotel quarantine of the pickers and in some cases they do the most arranging. It’s just the government That facilitates the hotel quarantine part of it.

Do you think TAS still thinks it's a great deal given Victoria currently aren't meeting their side?

 

[jakeseven7]

Do you think TAS still thinks it's a great deal given Victoria currently aren't meeting their side?

Lets be clear no one really cares about the Australians stranded overseas anymore, certainly not the state governments, even the media has given up publicising it which means no one is clicking on the articles.

Pretty sad indictment on the situation - out of sight out of mind.

 

[RAM]

For perspective

Investigations after virus believed to spread within Sydney hotel

A third case has been linked to the 11th floor of the Sofitel, but - with no shared air conditioning - authorities are unsure how the transmission occurred.

www.smh.com.au

"Over the course of the pandemic, NSW has processed 145,000 returned travellers through its hotel quarantine system. During this time, seven people working in contact with returned travellers have caught the virus.

It has been rare that people working in the hotel quarantine system have spread the virus beyond the hotel.

The first cases were two security guards who worked at the Marriott Hotel, whose infections were reported on August 17 and 22.

Nearly four months later, a cleaner at the Novotel who commuted on long train rides between her CBD workplace and home in Minto, in Sydney’s south-west, also managed to transmit the virus to no one, after thousands of her fellow commuters were directed to get tested.

There have been three cases of patient transport workers, who form part of the wider quarantine program, driving returned travellers between Sydney Airport and their hotel accommodation, as well transferring patients from hotel quarantine to health hotels.

One person who worked at Sydney Ground Transport tested positive on December 16 and also did not transmit the virus to anyone.

The only instance of widespread transmission following a leak from the wider hotel quarantine system was in December when one of two patient transport workers who later tested positive to COVID-19 attended BWS Berala for a “very short exposure window” on December 20, NSW Health concluded in January.

The resulting Berala cluster grew to 28 cases across December and January.

NSW Health said measures taken to minimise the risk of COVID-19 leaking from the hotel quarantine system into the community included daily saliva testing for health staff, cleaners, security, police and Defence personnel on shift.

“Staff are also provided with guidance on how to minimise risk to their loved ones,” it said."


Given how many arrivals NSW has taken, 7 breaches over 12 months resulting in only 1 spreader event (BWS) of 28 cases is not cause fo panic, especially since NSW has never ceased taking international arrivals. And if those 7 HQ staff had n95s we may have had no breaches at all.

To date only breaches from Victorian HQ have had dire consequences, and until Vic resume taking arrivals they cant claim to be doing a better job than the all the states and territories who are repatriating their residents for them.

Very biased article - some how has forgotten the Northern Beaches outbreak which could only have come via overseas.

However NSW contact tracing failed to find its source, even now over four months later.

 

[drron]

Very biased article - some how has forgotten the Northern Beaches outbreak which could only have come via overseas.

However NSW contact tracing failed to find its source, even now over four months later.

And just how is this now impoertant.The outbreak is well and truly over.
Plus there is the theory that it could have been foreign aircrew.They may not have known they were positive so no sample to do genomics and possibly then trace the source.
But of course a useful non fact when you continually want to criticise a government.

 

[nutwood]

And just how is this now impoertant.The outbreak is well and truly over.
Plus there is the theory that it could have been foreign aircrew.They may not have known they were positive so no sample to do genomics and possibly then trace the source.
But of course a useful non fact when you continually want to criticise a government.

Not sure that's entirely reasonable criticism? A fair amount of my working time is spent figuring how things came to be. It doesn't do to dismiss events with a hypothetical explanation. The "non facts" often assume greater significance down the line.
Covid is providing lots of interesting food for speculation. Positive sewage tests, hotel quarantine positives at day 12, community outbreaks that can't be nailed down. Viewed dispassionately, it's fascinating stuff and I hope a few PhD thesis' come out of it!

 

[RooFlyer]

Do you think TAS still thinks it's a great deal given Victoria currently aren't meeting their side?

Yes still a good deal for Tasmania. The overseas workers we are taking come from very low risk countries so virtually no risk of a break out from a quarantine hotel. It’s all paid for by others then Tasmania and provides employment etc in the hotels. I think Tasmania would refuse flatly to take any repatriation flights in lieu of Victoria not honouring their side of agreement with Tasmania.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Do you think TAS still thinks it's a great deal given Victoria currently aren't meeting their side?

Your assumption is that there is a fixed timeline to complete, rather than to just process X number of returnees. There may, or may not be. If no fixed timeline, then the quota just needs to be met eventually.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Your assumption is that there is a fixed timeline to complete, rather than to just process X number of returnees. There may, or may not be. If no fixed timeline, then the quota just needs to be met eventually.

I thought the deal was Victoria agreed to take Tasmania's repatriation flight.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I thought the deal was Victoria agreed to take Tasmania's repatriation flight.

I don't know the details of the deal. But if it was a repatriation flight, as these are charter flights and are sold from a single departure flight location it would be easy enough to still run it.