Passengers walk to a hotel quarantine bus to 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 on the rise as it was discovered that three new cases were transmitted among a family of returned travelers at a Sydney hotel.
The infections, initially recorded as contracted abroad, are believed to have now been picked up by a family of four in a room adjoining a quarantine hotel in the city, New South Wales Health said in a statement on Sunday. . It was investigated on how the transmission occurred, he said.
“All the guests who are on the same floor of the hotel have been tested again and have gotten negative results,” and staff working nearby are isolated and tested, New South Wales Health said.
The incident adds to the debate over possible deficiencies in the hotel quarantine system, given the increase in most infectious strains of the virus. New cases also fuel speculation that ventilation systems may contribute to dispersal.
Shadow Health and Aging Minister Mark Butler on Sunday called for national quarantine rules to be established and for dedicated facilities to be set up outside central business districts. Federal and state leaders will meet strategy on the response to the virus and the launch of the vaccine on Monday.
The total number of cases in New South Wales since the start of the pandemic is 5,187.