Three new case of COVID-19 after mercy flight from Delhi, India lands in Tasmania

Premier Peter Gutwein has announced three new cases of COVID-19 in Tasmania after a mercy flight carrying 120 repatriated Australians arrived on Sunday. LATEST >>

• Tassie businesses that closed or went under in 2020
• A year of unfathomable intervention for landlords

LATEST:

THREE international arrivals have tested positive for COVID-19, breaking Tasmania’s 120-day virus-free streak.

The three new cases bring Tasmania’s coronavirus tally to 231.

Premier Peter Gutwein said the coronavirus cases were expected, given the high risk nature of international travel and repatriating stranded Australians.

REWATCH THE UPDATE BELOW >>

“We’ve expected this day to happen, we said right through this in terms of doing our bit to support the Australian effort to bring Australians back from overseas that there is a likelihood we would see cases,” he said.

“Three recent international arrivals, currently in our isolation hotel in the Best Western, have tested positive for COVID-19.”

Premier Peter Gutwein. Picture: Zak Simmonds

One woman and two children tested positive. The woman and children are part of a family of four. The husband has also been tested, but does not have COVID-19.

The family will be transferred from the Best Western Hotel to the Royal Hobart Hospital, under strict Ambulance Tasmania measures today.

“Our systems are working, since the arrival of the flight on Sunday all 118 returned Australians have undergone their first COVID test, these three cases have been diagnosed from the 91 results returned today,” Mr Gutwein said.

REWATCH THE UPDATE:

Another round of testing will be conducted over the coming days.

There are still 27 test results outstanding.

All staff working alongside the hotel quarantine will be tested every week, Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch said.

The staff that handled the passengers that contracted COVID-19 will not be required to self-isolate.

The two children were not tested, as per Qantas’s policy.

All travellers on Qantas repatriation flights are required to have a COVID-19 test from an airline-designated test provider between 48-24 hours before the time of departure.

Children under 12 are exempt from testing.

Travellers must return a negative result before being allowed to board the flight.

“It takes three or four days after the time of infection to test positive ... that’s why we do it early in arrival, people could still become infected between the time they were tested and left,” Dr Mark Veitch said.

Dr Veitch said these new infections will not change Tasmania’s plan to accept more repatriation flights.

EARLIER: Premier Peter Gutwein is expected to update Tasmania at 9am on the current COVID-19 situation, after a mercy flight carrying 120 repatriated Australians arrived on Sunday.

It has been 120 days since Tasmania’s last recorded case of coronavirus.

Around the country community transmission has been quashed, and South Australia’s recent outbreak has been brought under control.

On Sunday a Qantas mercy flight has arrived in Hobart direct from India, carrying about 118 returned Australian travellers.

Travellers arrive at Hobart's Best Western Hotel after a repatriation flight from India arrived at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

The 787 Dreamliner touched down at about 9.45am on Sunday after a 12-hour flight, with passengers disembarking soon after onto Redline buses, which met them directly on the tarmac.

Among the travellers were 36 children.

WATCH THE UPDATE:

They were taken to the Qantas freight hangar, which was converted into an arrivals terminal for processing ahead of travelling to the Best Western hotel in the Hobart CBD, which is being used for quarantine.

Mr Gutwein said under the agreement with the federal government, all travellers on the mercy flights were required to undergo a COVID-19 test and have a negative result before getting on the plane to travel to Tasmania.

More to come...

Follow @navaronefarrell