Box Hill Hospital staff stay home amid coronavirus fears

Staff at a major hospital in Melbourne’s east have been told to stay home if they’ve recently returned from China, in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Several people have taken the advice, but the hospital says it’s business as usual.

Six Box Hill Hospital staff are self-isolating after returning from overseas.

A number of Box Hill Hospital staff have put themselves into isolation amid fears of the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

But Eastern Health has confirmed no staff — or patients — at any of its hospitals or medical centres have been diagnosed with the virus.

Eastern Health chief medical officer Dr Alison Dwyer said six staff members were “undertaking self-isolation”.

People have taken to wearing masks in Box Hill.

She said the health organisation was advising staff to self-isolate if they had returned from mainland China, or if they were a close contact with someone who had the virus, in line with Department of Health And Human Services (DHHS) guidelines.

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Eastern Health said the six members who were choosing to stay at home had all returned from overseas travel and hadn’t returned to work at all since being back in Australia.

Dr Dwyer said Eastern Health was following all the department’s advice regarding the virus.

Rumours have been circulating on social media that Box Hill Hospital had gone into lockdown over the virus.

But the hospital has remained operating as usual.

Fear of the global virus and rumours surrounding it have significantly impacted trade in Box Hill over the past month, despite there having been no sign of the virus in the suburb.