Traveller tests positive for Covid after leaving quarantine
A released guest from the same Melbourne quarantine hotel where an infected staff member worked has tested positive for Covid-19.
Victoria's health department was on Tuesday notified that a resident of the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport had returned a positive test after completing her 14-day stay.
The woman tested negative several times during her quarantine stint and before leaving the hotel on Sunday.
She sought testing after becoming aware of the Holiday Inn outbreak, involving an authorised officer who tested positive the same day she left quarantine.
"Early indications are that the individual has not left her home since exiting Hotel Quarantine on February 7, other than to obtain a test in a Covid safe setting," the department tweeted.
All returned travellers who left the Holiday Inn that day are considered primary close contacts and will have to spend another 14 days in isolation.
"We are in contact with this group," the department said.
"This will come as difficult news to them, but we are being as cautious as possible in our response to this outbreak."
It comes as genomic testing confirmed the hotel quarantine worker has the highly-infectious UK strain and authorities separately deal with the state's first intensive care case in four months.
The returned traveller in Victoria's hotel quarantine system has been transferred to intensive care.
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