Qantas flight attendant did not appear to be infectious while in Darwin, Health Minister Natasha Fyles says

A MALE Qantas flight attendant who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday did not appear infectious when he spent a night in Darwin, according to the NT Health Minister

• Qantas flight attendant, who stopped over in Darwin, tests positive for COVID-19
• NT Govt revokes hot spot declaration for Illawarra

A MALE Qantas flight attendant who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday did not appear infectious when he spent a night in Darwin, according to Health Minister Natasha Fyles.

The flight attendant arrived in Darwin after operating a repatriation flight from Paris last Thursday.

Ms Fyles said the man exited the flight through the RAAF side of Darwin airport and immediately got into a private vehicle contracted by Qantas for staff transfers between the airport and hotel.

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Despite several requests, Ms Fyles has refused to disclose which hotel the man had stayed in.

She said they would only tell the public if it became necessary for contact tracing.

“What we’ve been told is that under the CHO (Chief Health Officers) directions, there was a strict management plan, there wasn’t interaction with the community, and also this individual was not infectious, it’s believed, when they were in the NT,” she said.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles. Picture Che Chorley

Qantas domestic staff stay at the Hilton Hotel when in Darwin but it is unknown whether the international staff also stay there.

After spending the night at his hotel in isolation, Ms Fyles said the flight attendant took a private vehicle back to the airport and boarded flight QF841 to Sydney as a passenger on Friday.

On returning to Sydney, he self-isolated at home before experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday.

It comes after the NT removed the Illawarra region from its list of Greater Sydney’s COVID hot spots following an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

It means 10 people who arrived from Illawarra to the NT and are in quarantine across Howard Springs and Alice Springs are free to leave.

Ms Fyles said the decision was based on evidence that the Illawarra, which is centred on NSW’s third-largest city of Wollongong, has had no cases from the Northern Beaches coronavirus cluster.

Restrictions on Sydney proper, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains remain in place.

Minister Fyles warned that anyone who has been directed to self-isolate and get a COVID test after being in Sydney since December 11 could cop a hefty fine if they do not abide.

Contact tracing teams identified more than 3800 people that have arrived from Sydney over that period.

“We’ve seen a huge response from those people on Monday alone we did 700 tests, through the Center for Disease Control,” she said.

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“Our teams, certainly know that Friday’s Christmas, and they’re working as hard as they can to get those results out to individuals so that they can celebrate.

“It might not be the Christmas that you planned, but it certainly will be a Christmas to keep the community safe. So please follow the rules.

“If anyone feels that someone is doing the wrong thing ring 131 444 and our authorities will not be afraid to come down with those penalties such as a $5000 fine.”

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