[ad_1]
SYDNEY: Australia’s most populous state reported its first coronavirus case in nearly two weeks on Wednesday (Dec. 16) after an airport worker tested positive, prompting authorities to suggest international flight crews as well. they should be quarantined after arrival.
A 45-year-old man transporting international airline personnel to the airport tested positive for COVID-19, New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters.
Hazzard said the government will speak with international airlines in the next 48 hours to suggest changes to existing quarantine rules for aircrew.
“The tilt at the moment is … that international aircrews arriving in NSW will probably need to be quarantined in the same way as any other international visitor,” he said.
READ: Australia’s New South Wales state says work from home is over, but employees still avoid the office
Travelers returning from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days, but Hazzard said airline crews do not need to go through mandatory isolation for the same duration.
“Since the virus appeared to be contained in terms of community transmission, our most exposed areas are mainly around our borders … we may be an island, but we are not totally isolated from the pandemic that is ravaging the world,” he said. .
Australia has largely contained community transmission of the virus and last reported a local case on December 3 when a quarantine worker at a hotel in Sydney tested positive for the virus.
READ: New Zealand agrees to ‘travel bubble’ with Australia early next year
Australia has reported just over 28,000 COVID-19 cases and 908 deaths since the pandemic began, but it is estimated that fewer than 50 active cases remain, mostly travelers who returned from abroad in hotel quarantine.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
