[imagesource: Pinterest]

What happens behind closed doors between consenting adults is really nobody’s business.

At least that’s how things normally work. Throw those relations into a quarantine situation in the middle of pandemic and the rules change somewhat.

The staff at two hotels in Australia have allegedly had to learn that the hard way.

According to CNN, Australian officials have launched a judicial inquiry into a fresh COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, that they believe was sparked by staff behaving badly at a hotel used to quarantine people coming into the country from overseas.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced Thursday that the state government would provide $3 million to support the inquiry. He has previously said a number of cases in late May and early June could be linked to “an infection control breach in the hotel quarantine program.”

Many countries have enforced a 14-day quarantine period for those entering from elsewhere. In Australia, a number of hotels were used to house those in quarantine until they were given the all-clear.

With a few exceptions, only Australian citizens and permanent residents are allowed in the country.

National broadcaster ABC reported 31 cases have been linked to Melbourne’s Stamford Plaza hotel, while other infections have been linked to the Rydges on Swanston hotel, which is also in the state capital…

“It is abundantly clear that what has gone on here is completely unacceptable and we need to know exactly what has happened,” Andrews said in the statement.

The alleged breaches involve claims that some staff had sex with hotel guests, and that security training was not up to standard.

In an interview with CNN affiliate Channel Seven on Thursday, Australia’s Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said: “There are two cases where it appears that there have been clear breaches with significant ramifications.”

When asked what he made of allegations that security officers were sleeping with guests in quarantine, Hunt said: “If those statements are true, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable.”

Australia has been hit with a fresh outbreak of the virus in recent weeks, prompting authorities to respond with a harsher lockdown in parts of Melbourne.

No international travellers will be allowed into the country for the foreseeable future.

[source:cnn]