Department staff removed from quarantine hotels over safety fears, inquiry told

A Victorian government department withdrew all of its public servants from hotel quarantine work after the Health Department failed to address fears about health and safety.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp is set to appear before the hotel quarantine inquiry on Tuesday.Premier Daniel Andrews has been called to give evidence next Wednesday. Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp, who oversaw the response to Victoria's most recent bushfires, is listed to appear this Tuesday. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton and his predecessor, Graham Ashton, will also front the inquiry this week.

Ms Gavens said there was a lack of oversight of staff contracted to work in the hotels, including security guards who were not wearing protective gear or socially distancing. "As discussed, if we are unable to resolve these today, we do need to remove DELWP staff from Operation Soteria deployments until further notice. Can you please confirm that these staff have been removed from roster if we are unable to progress issues today?"

"I am used to working in dangerous environments, having worked in firefighting and the military, but I could not rely on the system or people around me to keep the environment safe," Mr Ashford said. The woman said the guard had asked her how many days she had left in quarantine, and when she told him she had five days to go, he said: "Oh that's not good, only five. I wanted to ask you out."The woman "feels very unsafe now at that hotel", the complaint record read.

Isn't the Federal Government supposed to be in charge of quarantine for international arrivals arrivals ? Scumo has spent $185 million on reopening Xmas Island and is not using it. Why not use it for Covid quarantine ?

Top notch operation our premier was running. I just love it when he blames ordinary people for the outbreak when this sort of crap happened under his 'leadership'

What a cluster !

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'They could fly directly in': Push to create quarantine hub in Queensland city full of empty hotelsWith tens of thousands of stranded Australians desperate to come home for Christmas, a Federal MP is proposing the establishment of a 'quarantine hub' in a city hard-hit by the pandemic. Queensland,WA,SA, NT, ACT,and Tasmania open your borders now, please all premiers lets get Australia moving, remember we still have a recession to fight like no other l for one have lived through . Are you saying place that have empty hotels & people who worked there who are not working could help.... well blow me away some forward thinking could be on the cards... Why put people in hotel quarantine at all when there are so many people with confirmed cases in their own home? VicGovDHHS DanielAndrewsMP ScottMorrisonMP
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