SYDNEY, Jan 23, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – One of the last flights out of the
epidemic-hit Chinese city of Wuhan was met by biosecurity officials as it
landed in Australia on Thursday, as a global effort to contain the outbreak
ramps up.
Mask-wearing passengers said they were questioned by health officials who
briefed them on the symptoms of the novel coronavirus and handed out leaflets
explaining how to respond if they noticed symptoms of the contagious disease.
“They suggested (that) everyone wear their masks, and actually everyone
(already) wear their masks … even the flight crew,” said Kevin Ouyang, a
40-year-old father of two who was returning to his Sydney home after a
business trip to China.
Australia’s chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, said no ill passengers
had been found on the flight, which left Wuhan shortly before Chinese
authorities placed the city under quarantine and barred all departing
aircraft.
But Murphy added during a press conference with Prime Minister Scott
Morrison that because of its incubation period travellers from Wuhan would
need to continue monitoring themselves for flu-like symptoms.
“We need to contact a hospital,” a woman passenger, who didn’t give her
name, explained when asked what she was told to do if symptoms arise.
Passengers who spoke with reporters at the airport seemed largely unfazed
by the crisis, and the media attention.
“I feel everything was normal on the flight,” one woman said.
China effectively closed off Wuhan in a drastic step to contain the virus,
which has killed 17 people and already reached several other countries.
More than 570 people have been infected across China.