Coronavirus crisis: Ring of security surrounds Hedland Hotel where Patricia Oldendorff crew are quarantined

A Port Hedland hotel has been turned into a fortress to stop COVID-19 escaping into the Pilbara community and potentially crippling the engine room of Australia’s economy. Security personnel flown from Perth are working alongside local police to guard the Hedland Hotel, where 12 crew from the virus-riddled Patricia Oldendorff bulk manganese carrier are quarantined. A temporary fence has been erected around the extended quarantine zone, which is located on Lukis St near the local turf club, aquatic centre and council headquarters. Two of the crew staying at the hotel have already been confirmed as COVID positive, while the other 10 who were also taken off the ship should receive their test results tomorrow. The ship remains moored off the Port Hedland coast, with seven of the nine crew onboard confirmed as infected with coronavirus. Health Minister Roger Cook said authorities were trying to work out the best way to bring the remainder of the Filipino crew to shore and clean the vessel, while maintaining the essential operations required to keep it running. He said the Government wanted to avoid a situation where the Patricia Oldendorff was left without a crew and became what was known in maritime terminology as a “dead ship”. The Government is in talks with the ship’s agent about flying in a replacement crew, who were currently in hotel quarantine in Perth. “Our hotel quarantine procedures in Port Hedland are exactly the same as those in Perth,” Mr Cook said. “We took our own experienced security personnel to Port Hedland and they are working with police who are also on-site to maintain the security arrangements. “The perimeter of the quarantine zone has now being fenced off. There is no need for the community in Port Hedland or the surrounding areas to be concerned, we have the situation under firm management.” Mr Cook said the Government wanted to get the remaining crew off the ship as soon as possible, indicating their transfer would take place tomorrow or Tuesday. He said the crew at the Hedland Hotel were “well and truly locked down” and there was no public health risk to the community. About 30 security guards and police were spotted patrolling the site. Volunteers from Hedland’s Filipino community were also seen dropping off food, which was delivered to crew members by health workers in protective gear. A worker would knock and announce lunch was ready, place the brown paper bag at the door and then take three steps back before the crew member emerged to take their meal back into their room. It comes after Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid warned an outbreak in Port Hedland would be “catastrophic” and a “death sentence” for Indigenous communities. Mr Cook described those comments as “unhelpful” and not reflective of what was happening on the ground in the Pilbara town. Hedland Hotel has received a bad rap in recent years, with some online reviewers complaining about the standard of cleaning. It’s been rated three out of five stars by almost 250 reviews on Tripadvisor. The hotel was recently taken over by the Prendiville Group, which has announced plans to redevelop the site over the next two years.