Sydney COVID quarantine hotel outbreak fears spread to Victoria

Six Victorians have been forced into 14 days isolation after being linked to a possible outbreak at a Sydney quarantine hotel.

Victorian health officials rushed to track down the six people after they were identified as close contacts in a NSW investigation into a possible COVID-19 transmission at a Sydney CBD hotel.

Three returned travellers from two families – who were staying in adjacent rooms on the 10th floor at the Mercure Hotel – have tested positive to the South African variant since entering quarantine.

The three positive cases had each tested negative on their day-two swabs in quarantine before later returning a positive test.

Contact tracers are now scambling to track down those who stayed at the hotel between April 7 and 12 and were potentially exposed to the B1351 variant.

The Department of Health said the six Victorians had all been contacted, were tested on Thursday and must quarantine for 14 days.

Health authorities have also contacted a person now in Victoria, who was recently in hotel quarantine in Perth, where two new cases of hotel transmission of COVID-19 were confirmed on Wednesday.

“This person will also be tested and required to undertake 14 days of quarantine,” the department said.

There are 19 active cases in Victoria, all in hotel quarantine.

jack.paynter@news.com.au