Qantas cancels flight after passenger tests positive to coronavirus
Qantas have cancelled a flight from Sydney to London after a passenger who was on board the aircraft was diagnosed with coronavirus.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News Australia they grounded flight QF1 to complete an additional clean on the aircraft that the passenger had flown on previously.
NSW Health confirmed the infected passenger arrived in Australia on February 28 on flight QF02.
But Yahoo News Australia understands the airline was only made aware on Wednesday morning, prompting the cancellation.
The flight cancellation comes a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked for a reassessment of travel and border control arrangements for high-risk groups.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tasmanian health authorities issued a warning to Woolworths shoppers.
A man, who had travelled to Iran and returned a positive test to the virus on Monday, went grocery shopping at the Woolworths at Wellington Street in Launceston when he was meant to be in self-isolation.
He went to the supermarket on Sunday at 10pm for about 15 minutes on his way home after being tested in hospital.
NSW confirms 16th case
An 82-year-old aged-care resident has become the 16th person in NSW to be diagnosed with COVID-19.
NSW Health confirmed the male resident was currently in hospital while the nurse who was caring for the patient also tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday and remains in Royal North Shore Hospital.
A 95-year-old woman who came into contact with the nurse died on Tuesday after developing a respiratory illness, although it has not been confirmed if her cause of death was coronavirus related.
“We express our deepest sympathies to her family and are expecting tests results later tonight (Wednesday) to confirm whether this lady’s death is linked to COVID-19. The public will be updated as soon as we have test results and her next of kin are informed,” NSW’s Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
Quarantine over for cruise ship evacuees
Australians evacuated from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship off Japan will be allowed to go home on Thursday now that their 14 days in quarantine near Darwin is over.
The group of nearly 160 people will be flown on charter planes.
Among the original group from the Diamond Princess was West Australian man James Kwan, 78, the first Australian to die from the virus. His wife was also infected and hospitalised.
In total 10 people tested positive to coronavirus while quarantined at the Inpex workers camp at Howard Springs.
The evacuees were the second group of Australians to be evacuated to the camp for quarantine after a group from the Chinese epicentre of the virus, Wuhan, were taken there.
The number of confirmed cases in Australia passed 40 on Wednesday, including at least two cases of person-to-person transmission.
There have been at least 93,200 cases globally, with more than 80,000 in China and more than 3200 deaths.
—With AAP
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