How did the virus spread in hotel quarantine?

The cleaner also infected her partner, who was not involved with the hotel, but because of their relationship, that did not surprise health authorities.

But the tipping point came after genomic testing confirmed a man and woman who arrived in Brisbane from Lebanon also picked up the B.1.1.7 strain.

They were also staying on the seventh floor of the hotel, which Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said sounded alarm bells.

“We’re going to be very, very careful about floor seven and see whether that’s where it spread and the rest of the hotel is fine, but we don’t know, so we’re taking a really cautious approach, as we always do here in Queensland,” Dr Young said.

As a result, the hotel’s guests and staff have all been evacuated, with those…