Coronavirus forces Monash University to delay semester start
Monash University has made a bold move to prevent the coronavirus spreading — asking its 76,000 students to stay away from campus until at least mid-March. But despite best efforts, the spread has well and truly already arrived in Victoria.
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Monash University has made a bold move to prevent the coronavirus spreading — asking its 76,000 students to stay away from campus until March 16.
The semester will begin a week later than scheduled, on March 9, but that week’s classes will be provided online.
“The novel coronavirus has created an unprecedented situation where some of our community of students and staff will not make it back in time from affected areas or isolation in time for the commencement of semester 1, 2020,” the university said.
“We have made these decisions to ensure the entire Monash staff and student body is able to begin the semester together with the highest regard for community wellbeing.”
The sudden move comes after an international emergency was declared, while in Victoria, a third case of the deadly virus was confirmed on Thursday.
The woman is a Chinese national in her 40s who had been visiting Victoria, but is believed to have been largely staying with family and not travelling extensively in public.
She has been in Australia for more than a week but is believed to have only developed symptoms in the past two or three days.
She is in isolation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Two of the woman’s close contacts are also being monitored for signs of illness.
The woman’s exposure sites in Melbourne and beyond will be made available once confirmed.
The World Health Organisation has declared the coronavirus epidemic in China now constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision after a meeting of its emergency committee, an independent panel of experts, amid mounting evidence of the virus’ spread to some 18 countries.
“The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries,” Dr Ghebreyesus told reporters on Thursday (local time).
“Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it.”
CRUISE SHIP CLEARED OF VIRUS
Two Chinese passengers held in isolation on a crowded cruise ship appear not to have the deadly coronavirus, Italy’s health ministry says.
More than 7000 people were under lockdown aboard the Costa Smeralda at a port near Rome after one of the passengers, a 54-year-old woman from Macau, came down with a fever and breathing problems.
The woman and her husband were placed in solitary confinement and samples were sent off to a nearby lab for testing. Meanwhile, all other passengers were told they could not leave the ship.
DINERS EXPOSED TO VIRUS RISK
Diners at a Glen Waverley restaurant may have been exposed to the coronavirus, via Victoria’s second confirmed case.
The patient, a man in his 60s who had travelled to Wuhan City in China, is now isolated and recovering at home.
This afternoon Tigerair confirmed it was contacting passengers on a Melbourne to Gold Coast flight on Monday after a passenger was diagnosed in Queensland with the virus.
The man was on flight TT566 on January 27, a Tigerair spokesman told the Herald Sun (see below for more details).
Eight other people travelling with the man are currently in isolation at Gold Coast University Hospital.
Queensland Health chief officer Dr Jeannette Young said the passenger, a 44-year-old Chinese national, went to his accommodation at 8.30pm Monday and became increasingly unwell, calling an ambulance about 3.30pm on Tuesday.
“My concern is that those 150-200 people on that plane when he started getting symptoms and then his 24 hours in the Gold Coast community, I need to track exactly where he went,” Dr Young said.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the man who dined at the Glen Waverley restaurant became sick more than two days after returning from China.
Before falling ill he dined at The House of Delight at Level 1, 52 Montclair Ave between 5.30pm and 7pm on Sunday, January 26.
Anyone at the restaurant at the time has been urged to be aware of symptoms and to contact the department on 1300 651 160 for advice. Diners who left booking details will be contacted by the department.
This morning it was confirmed that Box Hill’s biggest annual event has been cancelled over fears about the coronavirus outbreak.
The 2020 Chinese New Year Festival – scheduled for this Saturday – was abruptly cancelled by the organisers, the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse, just two days before the event.
Whitehorse Mayor Sharon Ellis said the decision was a surprise to the council.
The restaurant in Glen Waverley at the centre of Victoria’s second coronavirus case is closed and a sign on the door says it will stay shut until Sunday, February 9.
The Montclair Ave venue said its decision was to ‘minimise the risk of the novel coronavirus’.
In its note it apologised to customers for the inconvenience.
Dr Sutton said there was a low risk of infection for diners in the same restaurant at the same time.
He said those at other tables and anyone who had been there for a period of less than two hours were not regarded as “close contacts” under national guidelines.
“The risk of transmission although not absolutely excluded is very low,” he said.
The closure has created a flow-on effect to other businesses in the six-storey complex on Montclair Ave, with restaurant owners reporting a noticeable drop in customers tonight.
A cleaner was brought in to disinfect buttons in the building’s lift.
Several owners and managers told the Herald Sun they had contacted the building landlord to raise concerns and were uncertain about whether they should also close.
SkyBar BBQ Lounge owner Tony Yang said his bar and restaurant would shut their doors on Thursday and remain closed for two weeks.
Dr Sutton said there were two confirmed coronavirus cases in Victoria, 14 pending who were still waiting for results and 61 negative tests returned.
Dr Sutton said the man had been suffering a respiratory illness and was confirmed as positive this morning after a series of tests.
The patient’s family members, including two school-aged children and two adults, were all undergoing monitoring and were all quarantined at home.
“Some have had symptoms but no one has returned a positive test to date,” Dr Sutton said.
“They will remain under monitoring by the department.”
Dr Sutton stressed the restaurant was safe to go to and people did not need to avoid it.
The department said there was no evidence to suggest passengers or crew on the man’s flight back from China were at risk.
Doctors at the Monash Medical Centre assessed the man as well enough to stay at home.
The new diagnosis comes as anyone in Australia who has been to the Hubei province is being told to stay at home in quarantine away from work and school for two weeks.
TIGERAIR FLIGHT WARNING
Tigerair yesterday confirmed a man diagnosed with coronavirus was on-board a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast.
The man was on flight TT566 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on January 27, a Tigerair spokesman said.
The airline is contacting passengers and crew who were also on-board.
“Tigerair Australia has been made aware by the Queensland Health department that a passenger travelling on a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast has tested positive for coronavirus,” the spokesman said.
“We are now in the process of contacting the passengers and our crew on this flight to notify them so they can visit their GP for testing.
“The safety of our passengers and our crew is always our number one priority and we are working closely with the Queensland Health department on this matter.”
The airline said the man and another person on the booking were sitting in seats 11A and 11B.
SWIM CENTRE NOTICE
Anyone who has been to Wuhan recently has been asked to stay away from a Melbourne swimming centre.
Glen Eira Leisure today said anyone who had visited Wuhan or the Hubei province was not welcome for at least the next fortnight.
“If you or your children have recently visited Wuhan in the Hubei province in China, we ask that you do not attend swimming lessons or Glen Eira Leisure sites for a period of two weeks after returning to Australia,” manager Paige Buse said in an email.
Anyone who had come into “close contact” with someone with coronavirus has also been ordered to keep their distance. Anyone with symptoms would need a medical certificate before they were allowed to use the services again.
“Similarly, we ask all parents and staff who fall within these parameters to avoid Glen Eira Leisure sites for a period of two weeks. During this time, members, guests and staff should also be alert for symptoms and place a strong focus on personal hygiene practises,” Ms Buse said.
UNIVERSITIES/SCHOOLS ACT
Exams will be delayed and enrolments extended or deferred for Monash University students over the coronavirus.
The university has released safety and wellbeing measures due to the outbreak, which includes postponing supplementary and deferred exams due to start on February 3.
Alternative exam options are currently being investigated while a decision on summer term exams is yet to be made.
Students and staff currently in China have also been urged to remain there until at least February 17.
The university will also allow students unable to travel to Australia to extend their enrolment until March 9, or defer their study until next semester.
The university teaching period isn’t due to begin until the start of March.
Meanwhile, schools are scrapping planned student trips to China amid concern over the coronavirus.
Caulfield Grammar has notified parents that its Year 9 program in Nanjing would be suspended “until further notice”.
The private school has a campus in Nanjing with Year 9s spending five weeks living in the Jiangsu province.
Campus head Mike Gregory wrote to families saying “a suspension to all programs will be disappointing”.
“The safety and wellbeing of our community remains central in our decision making,” he said.
Brighton school St Leonard’s College also cancelled its three-week trip of more than 100 Year 9 students to China.
The program would be postponed until October, principal Stuart Davis told parents.
Some schools notified families before the first day of school that any student who had travelled to China should delay their return to school for 14 days.
However, that advice contradicted guidance from the health department, which urged only those with a confirmed case of coronavirus, or had been in contact with someone with a confirmed case, to stay away.
AUSSIES TO BE QUARANTINED ON CHRISTMAS ISLAND
Australians at the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis are set to be quarantined on Christmas Island as part of an ambitious Federal Government evacuation plan.
The arrangement is expected be formulated with the New Zealand government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the evacuation would be run on a “last in, first out” basis and vulnerable people would also be given priority.
“My first priority right now is the safety of Australians,” Mr Morrison said.
People will be quarantined on Christmas Island for two weeks – the incubation period for the virus – although details are yet to be finalised.
Qantas planes will be used in the proposed plan that had not yet been approved by the Chinese Government.
“We must be prepared to be patient as this process is undertaken,” Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne said.
“Australia is not the only country seeking diplomatic support and clearances for these activities.
“But we are seeking permission from the Chinese authorities.
“We will do that through our post in Beijing and also working with the local authorities in Wuhan through the consular team that will arrive there imminently from Shanghai.”
More than 6000 cases of the virus have been confirmed and 136 people have died.
There are 84 confirmed cases outside of China including five in Australia.
That number is expected to grow.
MELBOURNE SCIENTISTS WORK TOWARDS VACCINE
A breakthrough by Melbourne scientists is hoped to speed up efforts to develop a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus while giving colleagues around the world a greater understanding of virus.
After being able to grow the coronavirus in a high-security laboratory at the Doherty Institute, the Melbourne team will provide samples to labs across the world to fast track the international response.
As well as giving scientists in Australia and overseas a vital sample that can be used to test potential vaccines over the coming weeks and months, the breakthrough also paves the way for an antibody test that can detect the virus in patients who haven’t yet displayed symptoms.
Head of the Doherty’s Virus Identification Laboratory, Dr Julian Druce, said the samples would also allow hospitals around the world to validate their tests and all use the most accurate methods to identify patients with the coronavirus which began in Wuhan.
Millions of masks are being stockpiled by the government in a bid to slow the outbreak of the virus in Australia.
Health minister Greg Hunt confirmed 21.5 million P2 masks and a further 9 million surgical masks were being stockpiled for use.
A temporary consular office will be opened by Australian officials in Wuhan once they arrive.
Foreign minister Marise Payne said the rescue mission would focus on the must vulnerable Australians and those without support in the area.
She said about than 600 Australians had registered for assistance with DFAT.
“We understand what a stressful time this is,” minister Payne said.
“Continue to follow the health precautions.”
Mr Morrison refuted claims his government had waited too long to act to get Australians out of danger, saying it was easier for other countries that already had consular offices in the area.
“I have no doubt we will get a good hearing and support from the Chinese Government to work through this, the arrangements to source commercial carriers to support in this, that was in place and being worked on for several days, well before this,” he said.
“We are working patiently and we will get the job done.”
MORE NEWS
MINISTER SLAMS SCHOOLS TURNING STUDENTS AWAY
Hundreds of American and Japanese citizens have already been flown out of Wuhan following clearances from the Chinese Government for charted plans to land in the locked-down zone.
About 200 Japanese nationals landed in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, none of which were showing signs of the virus, according to Japanese media reports.
They were asked by health officials to stay home for about two weeks and monitor their health.
STUDENTS IN VOLUNTARY ISOLATION
Australian student accommodation provider Scape says it started taking measures against the spread of coronavirus last week.
Executive chairman Craig Carracher said the company had 14,000 student rooms in buildings across the country, with about 60 per cent of students coming from China.
“On Friday morning we introduced across all of our buildings an arrivals program to ensure students arriving from anywhere in China – their travel arrangements were traceable,” he said.
“What airlines, where you have travelled in the two weeks prior.”
Mr Carracher said a “voluntary isolation policy” had also been put in place for any students who had arrived from China in the past 14 days.
“Across our buildings now there is approximately 25 students who have arrived and presented themselves in the last week who have travelled from or transited through the Hubei Province,” he said.
“All of those that have travelled … are now in voluntary isolation in studio apartments or they have removed themselves to isolation in hotels because they’re travelling with family.
“A further assessment will be required in seven days before coming out of ‘isolation’.”
Extensive cleaning has also been undertaken, including in the lifts and common areas across the buildings.
Mr Carracher stressed that none of the 25 students in isolation – including five in Melbourne – had shown signs or returned positive medical tests for the virus.
“I’d hazard a guess that our buildings are the safest place to be right now,” Mr Carracher said.