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Security guards 'who had SEX' with quarantined travellers inside five-star hotels in Melbourne will be replaced by flight attendants - as Victoria grapples with COVID-19 second wave
Security guards are set to be replaced by airline staff in Melbourne's quarantine hotels after a sex scandal was linked to Victoria's second coronavirus wave.
A job advertisement posted by the Department of Justice on Qantas' internal job is calling on airline staff to take over from trained security guards who were tasked with enforcing mandatory 14-day quarantine for returned travellers.
Claims that guards were sexually active with guests in isolation are being investigated as part of a probe into the state's bungled quarantine program.
The advert reads: 'You will work within a number of Melbourne CBD hotels to support the compulsory hotel quarantine arrangements for people arriving from overseas. This includes following infection prevention and control processes.
'Reporting to a team leader, you will use your positive influencing skills to ensure that physical distancing measures and good hygiene practices are being adhered to at all times.'
Premier Daniel Andrews has launched an inquiry into hotel quarantine breaches which may have contributed to the state's spike in community transmission cases.
It has been claimed security guards were sleeping with locked-down guests in the lead up to the second coronavirus outbreak.
The Herald Sun reported airline staff are already replacing security guards at several major hotels.
A Qantas Group spokeswoman confirmed staff who had been recently stood down had been offered resident support roles by the government.
Transport Workers Union Victoria branch secretary John Berger did not support putting untrained staff on the front line.
'In a time of economic and social uncertainty, the chance of employment is one aviation workers do not take for granted,' he said.
'However, during a global pandemic and in performing a frontline role as residential support officers — the safety of workers must be paramount.'
There were 74 new cases of the disease recorded on Sunday with 3,000 of the state's most vulnerable people in nine public housing commission towers in the suburbs of Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne placed in total lockdown.
An emergency field hospital is being erected at Melbourne Showgrounds to cater for a feared spike in cases from the housing commission towers.
All residents of the towers will be tested for COVID-19 and with a negative test will be allowed to leave quarantine after five days.
If residents refuse to be tested they will be isolated for a further 10 days, a letter seen by Daily Mail Australia states.
'You will be detained for a further 10 days from the end of the initial detention period if you refuse to be tested for COVID-19 at the request of an authorised official,' reads the letter.
'This detention will be required because, having regard to the medical advice, this further detention is reasonably necessary for the purpose of eliminating or reducing a serious risk.'
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton expected case numbers from the towers to continue to grow.
'I do expect more to be found,' he said. 'The reason why these measures are in place is because this environment, this specific setting, has genuinely explosive potential for the spread of this virus.'
- Department of Justice posted a job advertisement on Qantas' internal job site
- The positions are for infection prevention and control in Melbourne CBD hotels
- Security guard breaches have been blamed for Victoria's coronavirus surge
- There were 74 new cases of COVID-19 recorded on Sunday in the second wave
- Nine public housing towers across Melbourne have been shutdown for five days By JACKSON BARRON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIAPUBLISHED: 17:38 BST, 5 July 2020 | UPDATED: 15:24 BST, 7 July 2020
192
Security guards are set to be replaced by airline staff in Melbourne's quarantine hotels after a sex scandal was linked to Victoria's second coronavirus wave.
A job advertisement posted by the Department of Justice on Qantas' internal job is calling on airline staff to take over from trained security guards who were tasked with enforcing mandatory 14-day quarantine for returned travellers.
Claims that guards were sexually active with guests in isolation are being investigated as part of a probe into the state's bungled quarantine program.
The advert reads: 'You will work within a number of Melbourne CBD hotels to support the compulsory hotel quarantine arrangements for people arriving from overseas. This includes following infection prevention and control processes.
'Reporting to a team leader, you will use your positive influencing skills to ensure that physical distancing measures and good hygiene practices are being adhered to at all times.'
Premier Daniel Andrews has launched an inquiry into hotel quarantine breaches which may have contributed to the state's spike in community transmission cases.
It has been claimed security guards were sleeping with locked-down guests in the lead up to the second coronavirus outbreak.
The Herald Sun reported airline staff are already replacing security guards at several major hotels.
A Qantas Group spokeswoman confirmed staff who had been recently stood down had been offered resident support roles by the government.
Transport Workers Union Victoria branch secretary John Berger did not support putting untrained staff on the front line.
'In a time of economic and social uncertainty, the chance of employment is one aviation workers do not take for granted,' he said.
'However, during a global pandemic and in performing a frontline role as residential support officers — the safety of workers must be paramount.'
There were 74 new cases of the disease recorded on Sunday with 3,000 of the state's most vulnerable people in nine public housing commission towers in the suburbs of Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne placed in total lockdown.
An emergency field hospital is being erected at Melbourne Showgrounds to cater for a feared spike in cases from the housing commission towers.
All residents of the towers will be tested for COVID-19 and with a negative test will be allowed to leave quarantine after five days.
If residents refuse to be tested they will be isolated for a further 10 days, a letter seen by Daily Mail Australia states.
'You will be detained for a further 10 days from the end of the initial detention period if you refuse to be tested for COVID-19 at the request of an authorised official,' reads the letter.
'This detention will be required because, having regard to the medical advice, this further detention is reasonably necessary for the purpose of eliminating or reducing a serious risk.'
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton expected case numbers from the towers to continue to grow.
'I do expect more to be found,' he said. 'The reason why these measures are in place is because this environment, this specific setting, has genuinely explosive potential for the spread of this virus.'
