Tango-Tiger

Covid: Why Australia's 'world-class' quarantine system has seen breaches



Australia's hotel quarantine system has been an extremely effective first line of defence against Covid-19.

The country has largely eliminated the virus, often going weeks without a locally acquired infection. Hotel quarantine is credited a huge part of that success.

But a series of isolated local cases in recent months - all from hotel quarantine leaks - have caused alarm.

Since November, three cities have entered snap lockdowns on the back of such infections, aiming to halt outbreaks at their source.

But how does the virus keep slipping through what officials hail as a "world-class" first defence?


The first time the system failed
Since March last year, Australia has essentially allowed only returning residents to enter the country, provided they complete a 14-day quarantine - usually in city
hotels.

So far, more than 211,000 people have gone through this quarantine. It's a costly but effective method that is used in only a few other nations such as
New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore.

'Luck of the draw': What it's like in hotel qua

But if the virus somehow escapes quarantine, the consequences can be severe. Melbourne saw this last July when a quarantined traveller infected a hotel guard,
who unwittingly took the virus into the community. The resulting outbreak accounts for over 90% of Australia's 29,000 cases and 909 deaths to date.


So how is the virus escaping?
At the time of Melbourne's outbreak, standards were lower. Guards were found to have socialised together and worked across different hotels, and there were
reports of guards mingling with quarantined travellers.

These days, however, the rules aim to prevent any such contact. Staff adhere to rigorous cleanliness standards, wear PPE and keep their distance.

As a result, many epidemiologists believe only airborne transmissions are causing cases to slip out, most likely through hotel corridors.

Various state governments have acknowledged this is a possibility, but reject suggestions they haven't taken enough action to prevent it.

More stories can be read here. : เกมสล็อต