Australian officials have launched an investigation amid allegations of a hotel sex scandal that has infected dozens with the coronavirus.
What We Know:
- Located in Melbourne, Australia, contracted workers are not following protocols at a hotel that is being used to quarantine international arrivals. These allegations include having sex with people under lockdown.
- According to Premier Daniel Andrews, the government is giving $3 million in support of the investigation. In the announcement, he states that a rise in cases in May and June may be linked to this hotel quarantine program.
- Hotels across the country have been the holding place for the quarantine program. In Australia, anyone who arrives must partake in a mandatory 14-day quarantine at one of the hotels. The only people allowed in the country are those who are Australian citizens.
- ABC reported that 31 cases have been linked to Melbourne’s Stamford Plaza hotel and others have been linked to the Rydges on Swanston hotel. Premier Andrews says, “It is abundantly clear that what has gone on here is completely unacceptable and we need to know exactly what has happened.”
- The claims included are that some workers had sex with guests in isolation and that there was lack of training. One guard said he received five minutes of training before he started the job. The allegations have yet to be confirmed by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.
- Australia’s Minister for Health, Greg Hunt stated, “There are two cases where it appears that there have been clear breaches with significant ramifications. We would encourage the Victorian authorities to throw the book at them if any of these individuals or the firms have behaved inappropriately.”
Additional parts of Melbourne have been placed on lockdown in the past few weeks due to a rise in cases. As of Wednesday, there are 73 news cases bringing the number of active cases to 370.
