Race to contain virus leak
Tennis players among 1100 forced to isolate
MORE than 1100 people in Victoria have been plunged into isolation in a desperate bid to clamp down on a coronavirus case that leaked from hotel quarantine.
With the Australian Open Grand Slam set to begin on Monday and the world watching Melbourne, authorities have placed a ring around anyone who has had contact with a 26-year-old hotel worker who tested positive to COVID-19 on Wednesday – including about 500 tennis players and staff.
Contact tracers are now investigating on four fronts to isolate 20 of the man’s close family and friends; limit the public exposure risk from 600 of his colleagues; confirm there are no new cases among the Australian Open contingent; and test thousands of Victorians who attended exposure sites.
The fresh quarantine crisis, which Premier Daniel Andrews said occurred despite the infected guard displaying “model” behaviour, threatens to plunge the state back into lockdown.
Most states have kept their borders open with Victoria as they allow time for contact tracing to determine the source of the outbreak, which is still unknown.
Deputy chief health officer Professor Allen Cheng said this meant authorities were taking a particularly cautious approach and urged people to get tested if they have been at 14 locations identified as potential hot spots this week.
Most of the locations are in Melbourne’s southeast, as well as the Grand Hyatt where Australian Open players were quarantined.
While about 600 “close contacts” of the worker, who is also a CFA volunteer, will be forced into 14-day isolation periods, the tennis players have been deemed as lower risk because of being trapped in their rooms and just have to isolate until getting test results.
Genomic sequencing of the infected worker is due back today and there are fears the case could be a result of the swift-spreading UK strain.
“One thing we can’t rule out is aerosol transmission, the airborne transmission of this. That is challenging – very, very challenging,” Mr Andrews said.
A female living with the man in Nobel Park, as well as eight other close family members and friends, have already tested negative to coronavirus.
They are among 17 “social and household” identified as the man’s closest primary contacts now in 14-day quarantine.
About 600 quarantine employees who worked with the man at the Grand Hyatt over the past fortnight have also been stood down, tested and isolated.
Thousands more Victorians who attended exposure sites visited by the Nobel Park man face shorter periods of isolation, until they can return a negative coronavirus test.