Western Australian health authorities have caught fire, amid allegations that they waited nearly 12 hours before notifying the federal government and other states of the first locally diagnosed coronavirus case in nearly 10 months.
A quarantine hotel security guard in Perth has contracted the highly contagious virus in the UK, which prompted a five-day lockout of the city and Peel and southwestern regions of the state until at least Friday.
There are fears that diffuse protocols could have broken amid reports that the security guard visited around a dozen locations across Perth for up to five days during an infection.
Questions were also raised as to why a daily quarantine hotel staff test was not implemented in WA on Friday alone, despite a National Cabinet decision to dismiss a campaign three weeks earlier on January 8. .
Health officials told the Australian Central Health Protection Committee meeting Sunday morning that WA had once again recorded zero community infections, despite confirmation of a positive test result hours earlier at midnight.
More than two million Western Australians are in day two of a five-day lockout after the state recorded the first locally received case in nearly 10 months. Pictured is a Perth resident on trial on Monday
The news prompted an ignorant federal Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd to publicly announce that Australia had gone two weeks without recording a locally received case.
Dr Kidd was finally told the bad news about the new case three hours later at 2.30pm AEDT (11.30am Perth time), the Australian reported.
Sources told the publication that health authorities did not contact the National Incident Chamber, despite the fact that they expected to update federal authorities by noon each day.
WA Health Chief Executive Andy Robertson said the AHPPC meeting on Sunday, held at 7.30am, was a remarkable meeting to discuss the relocation of the New Zealand bubble.
He added more information about the new case found locally still being collected at the time.
‘WA Health was still gathering information seeking a contract on the issue and the most likely cause, including the potential for a variable case,’ Dr Robertson told Australia.
More detailed information was required to allow jurisdictions to make appropriate decisions, which were not available at 7.30am when the AHPPC meeting was held. ‘
The Australian Daily Mail has argued for Western Australian Health for further comment.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to comment, acknowledging that it was a matter for the Australian Central Health Protection Committee.
‘Oh look I will allow these issues to be addressed at the AHPPC and through the normal processes,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday, ahead of the first sitting day of federal parliament for 2021.
Western Australian health authorities have reportedly waited nearly 12 hours before notifying the federal government and other states of a new locally acquired coronavirus case. Pictured are Perth residents waiting in sweltering heat for confirmation on Monday
The hotel security guard operated two 12-hour maneuvers at the Sheraton Four Points hotel on both Jan. 26 and 27 while the hotel had four cases, including two with her ‘various infectious diseases in the UK and one that has been diagnosed with South African snoring. .
It is not clear how the 20-year-old guard got the virus, after police confirmed he did not enter any rooms and that he states that they are fully cooperating with inspectors.
Authorities have identified 66 close ties to the so-called ‘903 case’. They were ordered to self-divide.
Eleven ‘high-risk’ communicators, including his three occupants, are in a hotel quarantine.
The new locally sourced case served as a security guard at the Sheraton Four Points hotel
It comes as An insider broke WA’s hotel quarantine system and accused security companies of hiring and exploiting foreign students.
The source said the guards received the minimum wage in cash and off the books so that they would work double the 20 hours allowed under their visa arrangements.
It was also said that hotel security guards shared IDs so they could get away with doing a second job such as driving for Uber.
The messenger told the West that the security services in the state were run by a ‘bunch of cowboys’.
Western Australians are expected to wait this week with test results over the next few days to determine if the state has been shot by the new COVID-19 revolution.
Western Australia has not recorded new cases since 3100 tests conducted on Sunday.
The latest lockout in Perth has sparked a new wave of panic buying. There are queue photos of supermarket customers in the highlands this morning
The new case of the infectious security guard ended West Australia’s 10-month climb of zero community broadcasts.
Hundreds of Western Australians went out for hours in warm windy conditions for a test Monday.
The lockout imposed on the Perth, Peel and Southwest regions affects 80 percent of the state’s population
The lockout sparked a wave of panic buying over crowded supermarkets and forced South Australia to close its borders to WA without warning, along with Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and the ACT afterwards.
Health authorities have listed 15 locations, on the roof of the Sheraton Four Points hotel, as potential hotspots after the security guard visited them. Pictured: Map showing locations where Covid’s good case was visited
State Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the coming days would be ‘very urgent’ as 60 close ties to the security guard have been identified.
‘We call it the case of 903.. This is a man who… we suspect has the UK variable type but that will be confirmed in the next 36 hours, ‘Mr Dawson told 6PR Radio on Monday.
‘If that’ s more of a strain on him, that’s what worries us.
Australian Western Prime Minister Mark McGowan has announced another review of state quarantine arrangements, along with a police investigation.
‘WA police will allocate strong resources into this investigation,’ he told reporters on Monday.
‘They have the forensic knowledge to do the work required. This will run in parallel with the investigation led by the former chief health officer … We will not leave a stone untrained to make sure we find out exactly what happened to prevent a recurrence. . ‘