Victoria’s 42-day COVID-free streak has come to an end, with five cases of the virus uncovered in the state’s revamped hotel quarantine system.
However, no locally-acquired infections were reported for a 43rd straight day.
According to the state government, there were 735 international arrivals in quarantine hotels by 11pm on Friday, including 55 with symptoms or complex health needs at the Novotel “hot hotel” in Melbourne’s South Wharf.
The five cases reported on Saturday – two males in their 30s and 50s and three females in their 20s, 30s and 50s – were uncovered from 8,737 tests.
They are obliged to remain in hotel quarantine until they have both tested negative and been cleared by officials.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Professor Ben Cowie told reporters on Saturday symptomatic and non-symptomatic arrivals are separated almost immediately at the airport, with major precautions in place for those who are symptomatic.
He said some 2,000 tests of hotel quarantine staff had already taken place.
“Our hotel quarantine system was designed on the premise we would have returned travellers testing positive,” Prof Cowie said.
“Detecting positive cases actually demonstrates the system is working and doing what it’s supposed to do.
“All steps are being taken and all resources are being mobilised to ensure to the best of our ability those numbers we see remain only in the hotel quarantine program, and furthermore, that those people are given the absolute best standards of health care and support they need.”
Regional travel voucher rush
It comes as Business Victoria says 40,000 vouchers offered as part of the first round of the state’s Regional Travel Voucher Scheme have run out.
Holiday-goers hoping to snap up one of the Victorian government’s $200 regional tourism offers prompted the application website to crash within minutes on Friday morning, having opened at 10am.
Those intending to spend two or more nights in regional Victoria between Saturday and January 22, 2021 were able to apply.
Business Victoria said the website received 800,000 visits by Friday at 5pm.
Eligible destinations under the $28 million scheme, announced as part of a $300 million state budget tourism package last month, include the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Bellarine Peninsula.
“If those $200 vouchers mean people stay an extra night, maybe go to a local pub or restaurant. That’s all about wages and spending and investment,” Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday.
While the first round of vouchers is exhausted, a second application window will open for trips between 27 January and 1 April. A third round will be available between 6 April and 31 May.
Opposition tourism spokeswoman Cindy McLeish labelled the launch a “flop”.
Queensland opens to NZ and SA
Meanwhile, the first travellers from New Zealand since the COVID-19 crisis hit are touching down in Queensland on Saturday without the need to quarantine.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk opened the border to NZ residents from 1am on Saturday.
“I know that is going to mean so much to families that have been missing loved ones for such a long time,” she said.
Queensland also opened to travellers from Adelaide from 1am on Saturday, meaning all Australians can freely enter Queensland for the first time since March.
The decision to lift travel restrictions for travellers from NZ came after the country clocked up 28 days without a locally-acquired virus case.
While people from NZ can now enter Queensland freely, they will still have to go into managed isolation or quarantine when they return home.
Ms Palaszczuk said she was optimistic the NZ government would soon remove mandatory quarantine requirements for arrivals from Australia.
There were more than 200,000 Kiwis living in Queensland in the 2016 census, making them the largest group of foreign-born residents in the state.
With the easing of coronavirus health restrictions, Queenslanders will also allow socially-distanced dancing at indoor venues from 1am on Monday.