Has coronavirus breached a remote community? Health Minister Natasha Fyles’ update on NT’s five new COVID-19 cases
HEALTH Health Minister Natasha Fyles today couldn’t confirm whether two of the NT’s new coronavirus cases lived or worked in a remote community, after five more people tested positive in the Territory overnight
Northern Territory
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HEALTH Health Minister Natasha Fyles today couldn’t confirm whether two of the new NT coronavirus cases lived or worked in a remote community, after five more people tested positive in the Territory overnight.
After it was revealed two of the five cases lived in Central Australia, Ms Fyles said:
“(They flew from) Melbourne to Yulara on Sunday 22 March, followed all precautions and had been isolating in their home, they are now in care at Alice Springs hospital,” she said.
“There is a number of clinical processes that have been followed … we have a couple from Central Australia that landed at Yulara … they immediately isolated themselves following advice they had to follow as an international traveller.
“They are in Alice Springs Hospital right now … I have provided the information I know.”
The couple had been on holiday in Austria and returned to the NT on Jetstar flight JQ664.
Ms Fyles also maintained another couple who lived in Katherine had followed protocols and remained isolated prior to being tested.
The couple, aged in their 60s, had returned from a holiday in South Africa on Silk Air flight MI801 from Singapore to Darwin on Saturday 21 March.
“We have a couple that returned form overseas on a SilkAir flight last Saturday, drove to Katherine and have been in isolation in their home in Katherine,” she said.
The fifth case was a woman who disembarked from her London to Sydney flight during a stop over at Darwin airport on Flight QF2.
“That flight spent some time in Darwin refuelling,” she said.
“During that time passengers were disembarked but remained at the airport. She was taken to RDH where she remains.”
Anyone who travelled on these flights are asked to call the Public Health Unit on 08 8922 8044.
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All five people are now under the supervision of NT Health.
The cases mean that 12 Territorians have now been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Queensland woman’s case will be recorded in that state’s statistics.
The new cases come a day after a Darwin couple tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday after returning from a trip to New York.
The 72-year-old and 73-year-old had recently returned to Darwin from their overseas trip via Sydney and arrived after lunchtime on Monday on Qantas flight QF840.
On the same day a Darwin man tested positive to coronavirus while in quarantine in New South Wales.
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The man, aged in his 60s, was a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship and had stayed in Sydney after becoming unwell. He is being monitored by NSW health authorities.
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