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Let me say in advance how much I don& #39;t want to be doing this. I am currently in the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn on day 12 of hotel quarantine. I am here because of a family illness. It& #39;s an awful situation. But I feel I have speak up after these latest developments in Victoria.
There have been reports since last weekend that security staff are untrained in infection control and are unwittingly spreading COVID-19. We know the hotels are the source of much of this outbreak. Yet nothing has changed here, in fact it& #39;s gotten worse.
Here& #39;s what I& #39;ve seen:
Here& #39;s what I& #39;ve seen:
*Security guards without masks or gloves.
*Holiday Inn staff without masks or gloves.
*Guards lacking training on how to dispose of PPE (at one point I was asked by an unmasked supervisor to put used PPE into a guard& #39;s hands rather than the dedicated infectious waste bin).
*Holiday Inn staff without masks or gloves.
*Guards lacking training on how to dispose of PPE (at one point I was asked by an unmasked supervisor to put used PPE into a guard& #39;s hands rather than the dedicated infectious waste bin).
*Guard numbers have been cut in half from 4 per floor to 2.
*Staff members (not guards) have told me they are moving between different quarantine hotels for shifts.
*External guests are checking into the hotel and it is still bookable online: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/find-hotels/hotel/rooms?qDest=10%20-%2014%20Centre%20Road,%20Melbourne,%20VIC,%20AU&qCiMy=62020&qCiD=4&qCoMy=62020&qCoD=11&qAdlt=1&qChld=0&qRms=1&qRtP=IKME2.6CBARC&qIta=99502222&qSlH=MELCR&qAkamaiCC=AU&qSrt=sBR&qBrs=re.ic.in.vn.cp.vx.hi.ex.rs.cv.sb.cw.ma.ul.ki.va.ii.sp.nd.ct&qAAR=IKME2&qWch=0&qSmP=1&setPMCookies=true&qRad=30&qRdU=mi&srb_u=1&qSHBrC=HI&icdv=99502222">https://www.ihg.com/holidayin...
*Staff members (not guards) have told me they are moving between different quarantine hotels for shifts.
*External guests are checking into the hotel and it is still bookable online: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/find-hotels/hotel/rooms?qDest=10%20-%2014%20Centre%20Road,%20Melbourne,%20VIC,%20AU&qCiMy=62020&qCiD=4&qCoMy=62020&qCoD=11&qAdlt=1&qChld=0&qRms=1&qRtP=IKME2.6CBARC&qIta=99502222&qSlH=MELCR&qAkamaiCC=AU&qSrt=sBR&qBrs=re.ic.in.vn.cp.vx.hi.ex.rs.cv.sb.cw.ma.ul.ki.va.ii.sp.nd.ct&qAAR=IKME2&qWch=0&qSmP=1&setPMCookies=true&qRad=30&qRdU=mi&srb_u=1&qSHBrC=HI&icdv=99502222">https://www.ihg.com/holidayin...
*Fresh air breaks have been cancelled since last weekend. There are whole families with toddlers and babies in these rooms. The windows do not open. I am worried about the mental health consequences of this policy which contravenes the UN Mandela Rules: https://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/mandela_rules.shtml">https://www.un.org/en/events...
It has been remarkable to watch the situation in here become less safe, not more, despite a constant stream of media stories about COVID-19 outbreaks that can be traced to quarantine hotel security, and despite the Premier& #39;s announcement of an inquiry.
We are being assured of a reset but a guard came to my door without a mask to hand me a delivery LAST NIGHT.
Meanwhile we& #39;re banned from going outside and when a fire alarm of unknown cause went off for 10 minutes yesterday, quarantined people were told to stay in our rooms.
Meanwhile we& #39;re banned from going outside and when a fire alarm of unknown cause went off for 10 minutes yesterday, quarantined people were told to stay in our rooms.
The virus is escaping because a public health measure was placed in the hands of for-profit contractors whose workers are not safe. Breaches are not guards& #39; fault – they clearly have no support or training from their employers or the government.
Nothing is changing despite hard work of journos to expose what& #39;s going on, that& #39;s why I& #39;m speaking about this. We need to get more health professionals in here, get quarantined people& #39;s fresh air breaks back, stop staff moving between sites, close down hotels to external guests.
I have not been speaking publicly because I am reliant on the DHHS for access to compassionate visits to be with my family and I haven& #39;t wanted to risk that. But they are locking down entire apartment buildings and yet nothing is being done here in quarantine. Fix it.
