‘No apology’: quarantine for Aussies on virus-hit ship
Australians returning from a cruise affected by a rare and deadly virus will need to quarantine for at least three weeks.
A government-backed charter flight will carry four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and one New Zealand citizen to Australia from Tenerife in the Canary Islands after their trip was marred by a hantavirus outbreak.
The ship MV Hondius docked in Tenerife on Sunday after three people died and five others tested positive for the virus, which is transmitted through contact with infected rodents.
Of those returning to Australia, three live in NSW and two in Queensland, but all will land at Pearce RAAF base on the outskirts of Perth before completing their quarantine at the National Resilience Center at Bullsbrook.
Although the incubation period for hantavirus is 42 days, the group will initially need to quarantine for three weeks.
The federal government will then seek advice from chief medical officers on further regulations, Health Minister Mark Butler said on Monday.
“Our primary responsibility is to keep our community safe and healthy,” he said.
“We also have a responsibility to these travelers to bring them home and protect them from the risk, no matter how small, of unknowingly transmitting the virus.
“I make no apology that this is one of the strongest reactions you will see around the world.”
British passengers were taken to a facility for assessments before those allowed to quarantine at home were forced to self-isolate for 45 days.
Americans were given the option of staying in a quarantine facility in Nebraska or returning home where they would be monitored.
Those flying to Australia were among the last to disembark, but none showed symptoms of the virus. They are likely to arrive in Perth on Tuesday.
Mr Butler acknowledged hantavirus was potentially fatal but said it did not raise the same concerns as Covid-19.
“This virus is very, very rare, and cases of human-to-human transmission have historically been even rarer,” he said.
“A coronavirus-based outbreak is a very different beast than dealing with that risk.”
The lockdown regulations were a national decision following discussions by the Australian Health Protection Committee, made up of state and state chief health officers.
The federal government also consulted the WA, Queensland and NSW governments.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said state health officials were preparing for the arrival of the passengers.
“The risk of transmission at this stage is relatively low and certainly not comparable to coronavirus,” Mr Minns said on Monday.
Queensland Attorney General Deb Frecklington confirmed her state was prepared to isolate returnees and said the reports from the ship were distressing.
Medical personnel will be on the return flight to monitor passengers throughout their journey home and will provide safe transportation to quarantine facilities for their arrival.
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