Victorian authorities are looking to make COVID-19 testing compulsory for hotel quarantine workers on their days off, after a second worker contracted the virus in less than a week.
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The woman, aged in her early 50s, tested positive on Sunday after she completed a shift at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport.
She had previously tested negative after shifts on Wednesday and Thursday, then had two days off.
Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville, who is responsible for the state's quarantine program, said the woman did not appear to have breached any infection control protocols.
She said the woman worked as an authorised officer, issuing detention notices for returned international travellers in hotel quarantine.
"When we had a look through just this person's engagement with people as they enter the hotel, as they exit the hotel, as they get moved to health hotels, it appears that there's no breach," Ms Neville said.
Genomic testing is underway to determine which strain of the virus the woman has contracted.
Victorian COVID-19 Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said authorities are assuming the "worst-case scenario", that the woman contracted a complex strain while working in the program.
"I'm pleased that we caught this case so quickly and we can put in our response to make sure we run it to ground," he said.
Ms Neville said a family of three at the hotel tested positive to COVID-19 around the time the woman is suspected to have contracted the virus.
"At this stage, it's not clear that she's had a dealing with these three," she said, noting the family had been moved to a health hotel upon testing positive.
About 80 hotel quarantine staff, 12 Australian Defence Force members and nine police officers who worked with the woman have been tested and will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
Health Minister Martin Foley said 15 close contacts of the woman have also been identified.
"That number may well fluctuate as the investigation continues over the course of the day and those people are all isolating and have been tested," he said.
The woman has been working with contact tracers, who have already identified a number of potential exposure sites in Melbourne's west.
The case brings the total number of active infections in the state to 20 and comes after a hotel quarantine worker at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt tested positive for the infectious UK strain of the virus on February 3.
More than 1200 of the 26-year-old man's close and secondary contacts are self- isolating, with 80 per cent returning a negative test result so far.
A case of guest-to-guest transmission at the Park Royal hotel at Melbourne Airport was also identified last week.
Ms Neville said a number of adjustments have been made to the program since, including a review of ventilation at all hotels and mandatory face shields among workers.
Workers will also be asked to get tested on their days off.
"The intention will be to make it mandatory," she said, noting contractual issues need to be worked out.
Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said it was important the government found out what went wrong.
"Once looks like an accident. Two outbreaks at two separate hotels looks like carelessness," he told reporters.
NEW COVID-19 CASE EXPOSURE SITES
Visitors to the following venues at the specified times must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days:
Friday, February 5
* Marciano's Cakes, Maidstone, 9.45am - 10.25am
* Dan Murphy's, Sunshine, 5.50pm - 6.30pm
Saturday, February 6
* Off Ya Tree Watergardens, Taylors Lakes, 1.17pm - 1.52pm
* Dan Murphy's, Sunshine, 6.50pm - 7.30pm
