Senior managers at St Basil’s aged care, where 50 died from Covid, can’t remember it all. Grieving loved ones can’t forget
Guardian AU
•Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:00:30 GMT
📰 What Happened
Senior managers Konstantin Kontis and Vicky Kos were compelled to testify at a coronial inquest into St Basil's aged care home in Melbourne, where 50 residents died from Covid-19 or neglect in July–August 2020. Kontis told the court the board of St Basil's never signed off on the facility's Covid-19 management policy, saying he believed he had delegated authority to approve it. The inquest resumed on the sixth anniversary of the tragedy, with grieving families present.
🔍 The Backstory
St Basil's, run under the auspice of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, lost almost a quarter of its 188 residents during Melbourne's 2020 second-wave outbreak, becoming one of the worst Covid aged-care disasters in Victoria. The managers had made multiple failed legal bids to avoid giving evidence.
🎯 Why It Matters
The inquest tests accountability for a disaster that killed vulnerable elderly Australians and exposes gaps in aged-care Covid planning that could recur. For families and the broader community, it raises questions about who bears responsibility when care homes fail their residents.
Senior managers Konstantin Kontis and Vicky Kos were compelled to testify at a coronial inquest into St Basil's aged care home in Melbourne, where 50 residents died from Covid-19 or neglect in July–August 2020. Kontis told the court the board of St Basil's never signed off on the facility's Covid-19 management policy, saying he believed he had delegated authority to approve it. The inquest resumed on the sixth anniversary of the tragedy, with grieving families present.
St Basil's, run under the auspice of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, lost almost a quarter of its 188 residents during Melbourne's 2020 second-wave outbreak, becoming one of the worst Covid aged-care disasters in Victoria. The managers had made multiple failed legal bids to avoid giving evidence.
The inquest tests accountability for a disaster that killed vulnerable elderly Australians and exposes gaps in aged-care Covid planning that could recur. For families and the broader community, it raises questions about who bears responsibility when care homes fail their residents.