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He fears that 10 other crew members aboard a ship anchored off Australia may have coronavirus, as infected Filipinos are quarantined at a hotel, but authorities insist there will be no outbreak in vulnerable indigenous communities.
- International freighter Patricia Oldendorff remains anchored off Port Hedland
- Nine crew members have already tested positive for the coronavirus, which is expected to increase
- 12 crew members transferred to hotel quarantine facility in Port Hedland now under surveillance
- Health Minister Says Port and Mining Community Should Not Worry
An additional 10 crew members of an international cargo ship moored off the northwest coast of Western Australia are expected to test positive for the coronavirus, amid growing fears the outbreak will spread to the continent.
Nine crew members from the iron ore bulk carrier Patricia Oldendorff moored nine nautical miles off Port Hedland tested positive in recent days, with cases expected to increase Monday.
Seven infected crew members remain on board while 12 crew members were transferred to a makeshift quarantine facility at a hotel in Port Hedland, raising fears that the virus would spread through the port and the mining town and to nearby indigenous communities.
Health Minister Roger Cook said the local community should not worry, despite admitting a day earlier that there was a risk of a massive outbreak similar to Melbourne’s second wave if it cannot be contained.
Twelve crew members of the Patricia Oldendorff were transported to the mainland over the weekend
“We have the situation under firm management,” Cook told reporters on Sunday.
“All positive cases are well and truly locked in that facility.
“The perimeter of the area is fenced off, so there is no way in the world that we will allow disease to escape.
About 20 Filipino nationals and the captain were aboard the virus-ridden ship when it docked on September 16.
Of the 12 crew members brought ashore and transferred to the Hedland Hotel on Friday, two tested positive, while the other 10 are expected to test positive on Monday.
Police and private security guards are patrolling the quarantined fenced hotel on the mainland, prompting questions in the wake of private security failures in Victoria.
Some of the infected crew members are in quarantine at the fenced-in Hedland hotel (pictured), raising community fears of an outbreak.
Port Hedland is one of the busiest seaports in the world.
“We are a port city, we are the largest bulk export port in the world, so this is a major issue for us,” said Port Hedland CEO Carl Askew. Nine news.
“We are very interested in the business continuing, but obviously those health issues need to be managed and managed well.”
The Australian Medical Association also fears that the local remote hospital will not be ready if infected crew members need inpatient treatment.
“At this stage, we know they have not been provided with the proper personal protective equipment and we are leaning on the government to try to make that happen very soon,” said Washington President Andrew Miller.
Arrangements are being made for a replacement skeleton crew to arrive from Perth along with a deep cleaning of the ship.
The rapid response team is led by experienced physician Tudor Codreanu, who also managed the COVID-19 outbreaks aboard the Artania cruise ship and the Al-Kuwait cattle ship earlier this year.
“We are still working on the best way to get the infected crew off the ship and clean it while maintaining the essential operation to keep the ship running,” Cook said.
Many of the infected crew transferred from the ship to the hotel quarantine are expected to test positive on Monday.
Around 20 Filipino nationals and the captain were aboard the virus-plagued ship (pictured) moored off Port Hedland since Sept. 16.
The ship left the Philippines on September 5 with a new crew, indicating that the virus came from that country.
WA has so far recorded 676 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began and nine deaths.
He currently has 16 active cases.
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