The NSW Police Force conducts regular audits and reviews of hotels used in the hotel quarantine operation to ensure a high standard of delivery for all travellers required to quarantine at hotels for the minimum 14-day period as instructed by NSW Health.
Hotels that do not meet the expectations are rotated out of the hotels roster. On Tuesday 25 August 2020, NSW Police ascertained that one such hotel did not meet the expectations required as part of the quarantine program and a decision was made to relocate all 366 guests to another, more suitable accommodation.
The relocation operation commenced this afternoon and is expected take around 12 hours to complete.
The health, safety and comfort of all quarantined travellers remains a top priority for NSW Police.
The NSW Police Force continues to work closely with NSW Health to ensure hotel quarantine operations comply with the highest standards, including having robust infection control measures in place at all quarantine facilities, with support from the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission.
Health staff are present in hotels managed by NSW Police and additionally health hotel quarantine was established early in NSW and is managed by NSW Health (for people with COVID-19, suspected COVID-19 or those with a clinical condition which makes being in a police hotel inappropriate).
Regular audits are undertaken of infection control practices and police officers, security guards and other staff on site are guided in the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by clinical staff at the hotels. These measures have been guided by the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission, based on national and international best practice.
Since the operation began on Sunday 29 March 2020, police have been operating up to 20 hotels, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In total, more than 50,000 people have entered mandatory quarantine in NSW Police-managed hotels, with 4185 people currently in 16 hotels across Sydney.
It has been an incredibly successful operation, which has dramatically reduced the transmission of COVID-19 throughout the community.
