LIFE ON THE INSIDE
Police give us a first-hand look at COVID operation
MORE than 8000 people have shuffled through Gold Coast’s quarantine hotels at the coalface of keeping COVID-19 out of Queensland.
Since April 1, when Voco at Surfers Paradise opened its doors to returning travellers in an attempt to slow the virus, the Queensland Police Service has provided 24/7 security at three quarantine hotels across the Gold Coast for about 8700 guests across more than 110,000 nights.
Twenty-one guests have tested positive to the virus.
The Bulletin was granted exclusive access to one of the quarantine hotels this week, and witnessed first-hand the engine room helping to keep COVID-19 out of our state.
During the visit – which was heavily controlled by the hotel and the Queensland Police Service – the Bulletin saw officers file through the door for an induction into hotel quarantine work, what’s believed to be a batch of swabs being taken into a Sullivan Nicolaides car, and a flurry of deliveries come through the doors for cooped-up guests.
Police officers, Queensland Health staff and, at times, ADF personnel, who are assisting with the quarantine process, are all based in the hotel’s lobby.
Police from all different parts of the service have rotated through hotel quarantine since its inception.
Inspector Owen Hortz, who is in charge of the Gold Coast security response, said it was a very “different experience”. “It’s not like an operation such as Schoolies or G20, or the Commonwealth Games where it starts on one day and ends in two weeks or three weeks’ time,” he said.
“It’s not so much daunting (that there’s no end date). You just need to plan ahead to make sure everything that’s being done is sustainable.”
Insp Hortz said no one “thought it would develop the way it did”.
“Policing is about keeping people safe and what we’ve seen since April 1, when we opened our first quarantine hotel on the Gold Coast, is over 110,000 guest nights.
“We’re up in the region of 8700 guests who have been through and these people have been quarantined for the 14 days.
“Then they have left, safe and well, and been able to get back out into the community.
“We haven’t had any crossinfections over that time in the hotels on the Gold Coast.
“So, overall, we’re doing that job of keeping the public safe. It’s just in a very, very different way to what we’ve ever done before.”
The Bulletin was told guests who had completed their fortnight of quarantine checked out at all hours of the day – sometimes at 12.01am – just to get that scent of fresh air and freedom.
The hotel receives more than 200 deliveries a day and that can involve anything from food, booze, care packages and even gym equipment.
A treadmill was recently delivered to the hotel.
On Friday, Insp Hortz conducted an induction for a fresh group of officers arriving for hotel quarantine duties.
He said hotel staff were also trained weekly by Queensland Health.
Queensland’s hotel quarantine program has been criticised in the past over the quality of food – and even nearby construction noise.
However, it has been one of the only states to have successfully managed the program to date.
Victoria’s outbreak originated in hotel quarantine, while a Sydney security guard also contracted the virus.
Adelaide’s quarantine program has come under fire in recent days after an outbreak linked to a hotel.
“I’m very thankful we haven’t had any cross-contamination,” Insp Hortz said.
“We work very closely with Queensland Health and they have advised all of the stakeholders in this – not only us but the hotel staff and the other government departments that are here – on how we can do better and keep everybody safe.”
Insp Hortz said everyone was treated as if they were COVID-positive when they arrived, but not like prisoners.
“A number of people, as you can imagine, aren’t happy with having to be quarantined,” he said.
“Some take it better than others. The vast majority of people – and this is the information we get from Australian Red Cross, who are in regular contact with the guests – understand why they’re there.
“And they appreciate everything that’s done to look after them – and they’re quite happy.
“A few people don’t accept that. We have had a number of
people charged. When they’re in quarantine, the basis for quarantine is that they don’t come in contact with other people. That’s what keeps everybody safe.”
Insp Hortz said guests were at first warned if they did leave their room, before opening themselves up to fines and charges.
He would not say how many police were involved in the security operation.
“I’m not going to go into specifics and tell you exactly how many but we have enough on the ground to ensure that we can look after all of their duties in terms of security and managing the guests in a safe way,” he said.
Gold Coast police have repeatedly defended their role in the hotel quarantine program despite criticism about perceived lack of resources on the beat.
Police do facilitate guests leaving the hotel for walks at the behest of Queensland Health.
He said the way people were allocated rooms was “luck of the draw”.
“We’ve got three hotels.
They didn’t all start at the same time and filling them up is not a … neat process where you can fill one and then move to the next and move to the next,” he said.
“So, there’s vacancies that come up at irregular times at all the hotels.
“Because of the nature of the virus, the fact that a hotel has guests leave on one particular day, there can be a period of time before that room can be used again.
“It has to be cleaned very thoroughly – more so than just a normal hotel room – to make sure that it’s safe for the next person to move in.
“It is luck of the draw then when you arrive as to what hotels are available and where you can go.”
Insp Hortz detailed the regimented process in which a passenger arrives at hotel quarantine.
He said they were staggered off the bus and made to wear a mask. They were met by nurses – also masked – and told to wash their hands with sanitiser.
They also filled out a form and were placed individually into an elevator, where they were then met by a police officer and directed into a room.
“So, all the way along the process from when they arrive here, we are keeping them distant from other people,” Insp Hortz said.
“We’re keeping a mask on, making sure their hands are clean, and then if they touch anything at all, that’s cleaned down properly afterwards and that keeps them safe from each other.
“It also keeps all the people working in the hotel environment safe.”