Qantas member tests positive

Source ABC NEWS

NSW health authorities say a Qantas staff member who flew into Darwin from overseas before boarding a domestic flight has tested positive for coronavirus.

Key points:

• The NSW Chief Health Officer says one of the state’s new cases includes a Qantas employee who flew through Darwin
• Dr Kerry Chant says the person boarded a domestic flight from Darwin to Sydney on December 18
• NSW health authorities say more details of the flight will be released soon

The staff member boarded a flight from Darwin to Sydney on Friday, December 18, but details of the flight had not yet been released.

It is not yet known from which country the Qantas staff member flew into Darwin.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant confirmed the positive coronavirus case at a press conference on Wednesday morning and said NSW health authorities were now working with the NT Government to determine whether contact tracing was required.

Dr Chant said there were “a number of precautions in place” and there was a limited number of people on the December 18 flight between Darwin and Sydney.

“That was a Qantas flight departing Darwin to Sydney on December 18. This news has just come through so we don’t have the flight details or any other details, but we wanted to advise you of that,” Dr Chant said.

“We’ll be working with our colleagues in the Northern Territory Health Department. I’m just giving you this news which is just very recent in its origin in terms of the details.

“We’re happy to give some further details as they come to hand, particularly around any contact tracing we may need to do with relation to the flight, and we’ll be liaising with our Northern Territory colleagues.”