Refugees being held in the BRP (Broadmeadows Residential Precinct) compound of Melbourne’s MITA detention centre were notified late yesterday (Tuesday, 26 October) that the compound had been exposed to Covid by a Serco officer.
They have been locked down in their housing units in the compound.
There is no more detailed information available about the source of the infection. It is not known if the source is the same or linked to the guard who exposed Bass 2 to Covid on 26 October.
Three days ago, on 26 October, another compound in MITA, Bass 2, was locked down for a further two weeks after being exposed to an infected Serco officer for a second time. Bass 2 has now been locked down since 8 October.
For two weeks, the residents in the BRP have requested Border Force and Serco to take extra precautions to prevent infection and to limit activities in BRP that could potentially expose them to officers infected with Covid. But those requests were ignored.
There are already serious staff shortages in MITA because of the number of staff that have been required to isolate over the past few weeks.
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713.
