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Tag: Hotel quarantine
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The end of hotel quarantine in Victoria
Hotel quarantine will finish in Victoria at the end of the month, with the purpose-built Victorian Quarantine Hub in Mickleham, north of Melbourne, becoming the sole quarantine site for unvaccinated travellers. The hub, which opened in February, has gradually been ramping up operations. From April, it will have capacity to accommodate up to 1,000 residents […]
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Ventilation as important as vaccination say experts
As Australia ponders the challenge of reopening with COVID-19 still present in our communities, the discourse from government has focused on vaccination targets. But increasingly, the public is demanding a more thorough response to the pandemic, incorporating other critical measures. Over the past weeks, one measure in particular has become front-page news: ventilation. “Vaccination is […]
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Purpose-built quarantine facilities a must for every state
Australian governments must construct purpose-built COVID-19 quarantine facilities in every state regardless of the nation’s progress with vaccinations. So argues leading epidemiologist at UNSW Sydney, Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, who says the buildings could be constructed relatively quickly and cheaply as modular structures using prefabricated components. Although the federal government has now agreed to fund a […]
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Hotel quarantine ventilation back in the spotlight
The most recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Victoria has brought renewed attention to ventilation systems in hotel quarantine. The new wave of cases began when a Victorian man returned to Melbourne after spending 14 days in the Playford medi-hotel in Adelaide. Although he initially returned a negative result, he later tested positive, and it has […]
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Quarantine restart: What have we learnt?
This week, international travellers began arriving in Melbourne again, and are re-entering Victoria’s revised hotel quarantine facilities. Numbers have been capped at 800 per week and will increase to 1,120 per week on April 15 provided that key recommendations are addressed – including many relating to ventilation. Focus on airborne transmission It has been almost […]
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South Australia opens new ‘medi-hotel’ for COVID cases
International travellers in South Australia who test positive for COVID-19 infection are now being transferred to a hotel quarantine facility with upgraded ventilation systems and processes. The 72-bed Tom’s Court hotel in Adelaide’s CBD will mainly house new international arrivals, but rooms will also be available should there be any further cases of community transmission […]
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Hotel quarantine outbreaks prompt ventilation review
The Victorian government is conducting a review of hotel ventilation and air conditioning systems amid an increase in COVID-19 cases linked to quarantine. The situation has raised further concerns about the suitability of hotels as quarantine facilities, and the role of airborne transmission in spreading the virus. The Australian hotel quarantine system has registered outbreaks […]
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Are hotels suitable COVID-19 quarantine facilities?
As pressure mounts to allow more international arrivals into the country, the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has flagged serious concerns about the suitability of hotels as quarantine facilities. So far, the outbreaks connected to hotel quarantine facilities in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales have largely been blamed on […]