Australia’s run of no COVID community transmission is over after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard (pictured) confirmed on Wednesday that a 45-year-old Sydney man tested positive for COVID-19 on 15 December.
Contact tracers are working frantically to track the man’s contacts, with his two children and his wife testing negative.
“While we have a plausible hypothesis that this transmission may have originated from contact with international flight crew, it is important to remain open in these investigations,” NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
In response to the new case, Mr Hazzard said international aircrews would soon be required to complete a full 14-day quarantine to avoid the possibility of virus transmissions – previously, they were only required to self-isolate.
It’s the second COVID-19 case connected to an international flight into Australia in the last month after a 66-year-old female cleaner is believed to have contracted the virus from an American crew.
Health authorities confirmed the man’s sole responsibility was to transport air crews and have urged the public not to panic.
