More immigration detainees are testing positive inside the Villawood detention centre.
Since the initial five cases, in Mackenzie and Mitchell were reported, three more people tested positive in Lachlan compound yesterday (11.01.22).
Today, (Wednesday 12 Jan) four more people in Lachlan compound tested positive and have been removed to isolation. A further person in Mitchell compound who had received a negative RAT test yesterday, was taken to hospital last night (Tuesday) and has tested positive to Covid by a PCR test done at the hospital.
That makes at least 13 cases, but rumours inside the detention center say there could be as many as 68 cases.
This potentially means that another large group of people in Mitchell compound have been exposed and even more guards who will be close contacts of the positive case.
“We are still waiting for Serco and Border Force to come clean about the Villawood outbreak,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.
“The public and more importantly the people being held at Villawood should be told the daily case numbers and which compounds are affected. Without accurate information being provided to people in immigration detention, they cannot make informed decisions regarding their own safety or whether they are close contacts.”
“There have been no measures taken to remove the most vulnerable people from the high-risk detention centre. The government has spent a lot of time, energy and hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to keep one tennis player who is not a COVID risk out of Australia, but is doing nothing to get the vulnerable people at risk of infection in Villawood out of detention. ”
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
