Some more detail on how the virus was possibly spread and the changes made in Vic HQ.
So what's different this time?
Government reviews have essentially found ventilation and airflow at hotels had been allowing coronavirus to spread from people inside a room to workers in hallways and to other guests.
The government says a team of health experts and engineers are assessing every single room in every hotel used in the program to make sure that when a door is opened, air from a room doesn't rush out, and instead air from the hallway goes in.
COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria head Emma Cassar said the hypothesis was that it was about "ventilation and viral load".
"From the Park Royal matter, we had four positive cases where we had a number of openings of the doors where that viral load and the movement of the air could have moved that virus into the corridor," she said.
"And certainly the same for Holiday Inn with the use of a nebuliser.
"The CHO [Chief Health Officer] describes it as having viral loads in clouds being pushed under the door."
So any room found to have a such ventilation issue will be modified by, for example, changing exhaust and toilet fans.
The third incarnation of Victoria's hotel quarantine scheme will include about a dozen hotels and testing of residents four times during their stay.
www.abc.net.au
So from that and what was indicated yesterday HVAC is being upgraded, and other factors that may cause undesirable pressure differences modified, so that you have a negative pressure in the room relative to the corridor. This would not be to the standard of a medical grade negative pressure room, and no airlock, but obviously much better than not ensuring this.
I would note my earlier comments too on how on how open external windows or doors can easily result in airflow from the room into a corridor.
Which hotels are being used?
With the exception of the Novotel & ibis Melbourne Central, the government has not revealed which hotels will be involved in the revamped quarantine program.
But it has said three hotels have successfully completed all the ventilation modifications required and two more have partially completed those changes.
Fourteen other hotels are being looked at, but require more work or assessment.
The government says by mid-April most of these hotels should have completed the necessary modifications to be part of the scheme.
That's one reason why passenger numbers will be capped at 800 a week to begin with, before eventually rising to 1,120.
I thought we were going to build a special facility near an airport?
We still might be.
Acting Premier James Merlino says 10 sites outside of Melbourne CBD have been shortlisted for a potential quarantine hub facility.
One of those will be named as the potential site by the end of April.
Even once that happens, the government thinks the planning and construction of a site will take another six months, so it might not be necessary.
However the government will continue moving ahead with the idea in case a "hyper-infectious" strain develops or the site is deemed necessary for future disasters.
"This is a changing virus and we are learning as we go", Mr Merlino said.
A Victorian government team that has visited the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory says any hub in Victoria should house about 250 residents.
But purpose-built facilities for children, families and people with disabilities will still be needed.
Testing of hotel residents for COVID-19 also doubles
Previously people were tested twice during their 14 day stay but now it will be four times, with potential testing after 14 days if required.
There is also a plan for hotel quarantine workers to have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said as frontline workers, most would have been given the Pfizer vaccine.
"90 per cent of staff have received their first dose and protection starts about 10 or 12 days after that first dose," Professor Cheng said.
"A lot of the staff are getting their second dose now and the complete protection would be kicking in."
coronavirus.wh.org.au
