Covid 19 coronavirus: Melbourne security boss didn't know infected travellers in quarantine 'until staff contracted it'

The Honourable Jennifer Coates AO speaks during the Covid-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry in Melbourne.

Security working in Melbourne's quarantine hotels were told guests who tested positive to Covid-19 would be taken to hospital, and didn't know this wasn't the case until staff tested positive.

A security boss who staffed several Melbourne quarantine hotels says he was told any returned traveller who tested positive to Covid-19 would be taken to hospital and didn't realise that was untrue until one of his staff contracted the virus.

MSS Security general manager Jamie Adams told an inquiry on Thursday he was told by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions before taking the job that medical staff "would manage transfer of quarantine guests from (a hotel) to a medical facility" should they test positive.

He said he found out this was not the case "very late in the piece", around the time there was an outbreak of the virus at the Stanford Hotel.

His colleague, Sam Krekelis, said he found out "at the time one of our staff members contracted (the virus)".

Adams also said he was told before taking the job Victoria Police officers would be on site to deal with any issues.

"There was a very clear instruction in the event of a guest absconding or attempting to abscond from the facility or in the event of a guest becoming agitated or aggravated we were not to respond, Victoria Police would," he said.

Officers were in fact not on site, unless there was an emergency call.