Medical teams are bound for Christmas Island to deal with Australian coronavirus evacuees who face isolation in a bid to protect the mainland from the deadly disease.
The government is working to get Australians out of China and more than 600 Australian citizens in the epicentre province of Hubei have registered for advice or assistance.
But it’s unclear how many will join what the government is calling a “humanitarian” mission to get people home and into quarantine on Christmas Island and shield mainland Australians at the same time.
There are seven confirmed cases of the deadly virus in Australia: four in NSW, two in Victoria and one in Queensland, with others being tested in various states.
On Thursday, Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed two Australians in China’s Guangdong Province had also contracted the virus, but had been treated and appeared to be okay.
“They have been treated and the advice that I have – and I would want to be cautious on this – is that they have been released and are not seeking consular assistance at this stage,” he told reporters.
Mr Hunt said Australia’s actions were driven by medical advice, and the World Health Organization was strong in its support for quarantine measures to stem the spread of the virus.
“Our job is to protect Australians and provide support for citizens overseas and the best way to do that is to find a place which was designed to deal with people who were coming (from) overseas… and to do that in a way which is humane,” Mr Hunt said.
“This is a humanitarian mission. … It protects Australians home but it provides a pathway home for those Australians who are in Hubei.”
Mr Hunt said the National Critical Care and Trauma Centre had secured the personnel they need for Christmas Island, and teams would begin heading there later today.
Earlier Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton defended the Christmas Island plan, saying it would help keep Australia safe.
“I can’t clear a hospital in Sydney or Melbourne to accommodate 600 people. We don’t have a facility otherwise that can take this number of people,” he told the Nine Network on Thursday.
Australian diplomats are continuing negotiations with Chinese authorities to clear the way for the evacuation mission.
Qantas has offered its aircraft for use in the evacuation, which is a joint operation with New Zealand.
AAP
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