Melbourne Airport Terminal 1 and a Qantas Flight From Perth Have Been Listed As Exposure Sites
Folks at the airport terminal during a specific half-hour period are required to get tested and isolate — and passengers on the plane will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Melburnians, if you've recently returned from Perth or you've spent some time at the airport, a COVID-19 test and a stint in self-isolation might now be in your future. In response to the city's latest coronavirus case — in a Victorian man who tested positive upon his return to Melbourne after spending 14 days in hotel quarantine in Perth — the Victorian Government has listed both a Qantas flight from Perth and Melbourne Airport's Terminal 1 as new exposure sights. With the former, the classification only relates to a specific flight; with the latter, to a specific window of time.
Qantas flight QF778 from Perth to Melbourne, which arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday, April 21, is listed as a Tier 1 site. That means that anyone who was on the plane must get tested for COVID-19 immediately, then self-isolate for 14 days regardless of their initial test result.
Melbourne Airport's Terminal 1 is on the Tier 2 list, referring specifically to the half hour between 7–7.30pm on Wednesday, April 21. Anyone at the terminal during that timeframe must also get tested for COVID-19 immediately, and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
Folks who've returned from Western Australia recently are also asked to look at a list of exposure sites issued by the WA Government and, if you visited them within the time frames identified, to contact the Victorian Department of Health immediately. It's a lengthy list, spanning shopping centres, restaurants and an aquatic centre, all between Saturday, April 17–Friday, April 23 so far.
Back to Victoria, Melburnians can keep an eye on the local list of exposure sites at the Victorian Government Department of Health website — as it may change if more sites are identified.
For those looking to get tested, you can find a list of testing sites including regularly updated waiting times also on the Department of Health website.
Border requirements are also changing in response to the current case, and after Perth started a three-day lockdown at 12.01am today, Saturday, April 24. Victoria has classified the Perth metropolitan area and Peel region in Western Australia as red zones under its traffic light border system, which means that non-Victorian residents can't enter the state without an exception, permit or exemption. And, anyone currently in Victoria who has been in the metro Perth or Peel region between Saturday, April 17–Friday, April 23, other than to transit through either, is required to isolate, get tested within 72 hours and stay isolated until receiving a negative result.
For further details on the latest exposure sites and updated public health advice, see the Department of Health website.
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