Police are investigating after the attempted burglary at the Intercontinental Hotel on Collins Street on Saturday after a man was able to walk in without detection.A police spokesman said the man forced open an external door about 4.10pm.“It’s not believed he gained access to any rooms during the short time he was in the hotel,” he said.The man then left the hotel on foot through the same door.It comes as Matiu Bush, the COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria manager of infection prevention across the hotel system, was stood down on Wednesday by Police Minister Danny Pearson after several breaches were revealed in confidential documents.According to an article in The Australian, Mr Bush was reported to authorities twice since March after defying a Defence Force request for a mandatory COVID-19 test and breaching infection-control protocols.The newspaper obtained dozens of daily confidential reports spanning January to April that documented hundreds of breaches and incidents by people involved in the hotel quarantine scheme.But in a statement provided to NCA NewsWire, CQV shifted the responsibility for the latest breach at the Intercontinental Hotel to Victoria Police.“Victoria Police are embedded in every quarantine hotel and are responsible for foyer enforcement and security,” a spokeswoman said.“We continue to work collaboratively with Victoria Police to ensure that community members do not access hotels. “CQV immediately notified Victoria Police during the attempted break-in at the Intercontinental on May 1 and on-site police quickly responded.“At no time did any person gain access to residential floors or other restricted areas.”Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien on Thursday said he had “no confidence” in the head of COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria, Emma Cassar, and called for her to be sacked.Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said after 14 months the government still couldn’t deliver a safe and effective quarantine program.The site of a complex used to quarantine animals in Melbourne’s north is being considered as an alternative form of quarantine for returning travellers. The Andrews government has been looking for a site which could host an alternative quarantine facility similar to Howard Springs in the Northern Territory for the past three months. It would be cabin style accommodation which would stop COVID-19 seeping out of CBD hotels into the community. The short-listed site currently houses the Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine Facility which quarantines animals upon their entry into the country. The site is 30 kilometres north Melbourne’s airport and 40 kilometres north of the CBD.“Victorians deserve better than a government that doesn’t learn from mistakes, throws ordinary Victorians under the bus and continues to cover up its own failings,” he said.A previous alleged break-in at a quarantine hotel in Collins Street on January 29 this year resulted in a 29-year-old intruder gaining access to a stairwell.On that occasion, there was also no access gained to red zones, guest or staffrooms, and no property was stolen.Any witnesses or anyone with information on the Intercontinental break in has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.jack.paynter@news.com.au
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