Two COVID-19 infected ADF personnel return negative tests

TWO of the four Australian Defence Force members who recently returned from the Middle East have tested negative to COVID-19 and now remain in quarantine.

Two of the four Australian Defence Force members who returned from the Middle East have tested negative to COVID-19 and now remain in quarantine.

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• Four COVID-19 infected Defence personnel taken to Royal Darwin Hospital

TWO of the four Australian Defence Force members who recently returned from the Middle East have tested negative to COVID-19 and now remain in quarantine.

A Department of Defence spokesman said four personnel who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Middle East on April 29 were taken to Darwin on Friday.

He said two of the four had returned negative results during further testing at Royal Darwin Hospital.

“Two of these individuals have since tested negative and are completing mandatory quarantine in Darwin,” he said.

“The other two individuals remain in care and isolation in hospital.”

Defence have refused to reveal whether the two infected ADF members are from the NT due to privacy reasons.

However, the NT Government has added the two new cases to the Territory’s total number of cases, bringing it up from 28 to 30.

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When eight Diamond Princess passengers tested positive for coronavirus in February while in the Howard Springs quarantine facility, their cases counted towards their home state’s tally and not the NT.

Five people infected with coronavirus remain in the care of the NT health system.

The total includes the two ADF members and three civilians.

The three locals who tested positive have had the virus for at least a month.

A person cannot be cleared of the virus until they produce two negative tests.

Before the ADF personnel touched down in Darwin last Friday, the NT had not recorded a new case of the virus in almost a month.

To date 4721 tests have been conducted while 30 people have tested positive.

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Territory-wide there are 419 people in quarantine and 43 infringements have been issued from 7263 compliance checks.