Medical expert calls for Government action as COVID-19 case confirmed in immigration detention
A leading infectious diseases specialist says the Federal Government must take immediate action to protect refugees and people seeking asylum detained in crowded immigration detention facilities, after a staff member at the Mantra hotel in Melbourne - which is currently being used as a makeshift detention centre - tested positive for COVID-19.
Over 60 people who were brought to Australia from Papua New Guinea and Nauru to receive medical treatment are currently being held on a single floor of the hotel. Inside, it is impossible to practice physical distancing, and air ventilation is poor. Last night Australian Border Force informed the people detained that a staff member had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Professor David Isaacs, a senior infectious diseases expert, said that detention environments exacerbate the risk of transmission.
“In immigration detention, much like cruise ships, people are living in small, crowded spaces and can spread the virus very quickly. Hotels being used as detention centres constitute a very high-risk environment for people’s physical and mental health.”
Since the start of the pandemic, medical experts have been calling on the Federal Government to reduce the number of people in detention facilities to reduce the risk of widespread transmission.
“Back in April, over a thousand medical professionals asked the Government to release refugees and people seeking asylum from detention into safe housing, as part of a responsible public health approach to this pandemic. It’s time for the Government to listen and act.
“These men should be moved into accommodation in the community before they catch COVID-19,” said Professor Isaacs. "Leaving them in the Mantra risks another massive Melbourne hotspot, with extensive spread to guards, their families and the wider community.”
David Burke, Legal Director with the Human Rights Law Centre, called for the Morrison Government to listen to the medical experts and reduce the numbers of people held in immigration detention.
“Medical experts have warned for months of the risks of COVID-19 in immigration detention in Australia. These detention facilities are creating unacceptable health risks for the people held there, the staff, and the broader community. If a bushfire is coming, you let people leave. The Morrison Government must urgently move these men to community housing where they can safely socially distance,” said Burke.
Media contact:
Michelle Bennett, Communications Director, Human Rights Law Centre, 0419 100 519