An Australian state government leader apologized for a bungled hotel quarantine program that led to most of the nation's coronavirus deaths. A retired judge who investigated Victoria state's quarantine program for returned travelers criticized the use of private security guards to enforce isolation in Melbourne hotels in May and June. After the investigative report, Victoria Premier Dan Andrews explained the quarantine system had been implemented quickly and without a pandemic rule book. The lax infection controls at two Melbourne quarantine hotels set off a wave of infections in Australia's second-largest city while the rest of the country had been largely virus-free. Police now provide security at Melbourne quarantine hotels.

Source: The Standard December 21, 2020 05:15 UTC