Quarantine Measures for Cruise Ship Passengers Returning to Australia
Australian passengers returning from a cruise ship that experienced a deadly hantavirus outbreak will be placed in quarantine at the Bullsbrook quarantine centre near Perth. This measure aims to prevent the virus from spreading further within the country.
An Australian flight is scheduled to arrive in the Canary Islands on Monday to rescue passengers who were on board the MV Hondius. Among those rescued are four Australians and one permanent resident, who will then be flown to Perth on a Commonwealth-assisted flight. A New Zealand citizen will also be on board this flight.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler stated that Western Australia will be the first port of call for the passengers on this flight. “Those Australians and that New Zealander will be landed at RAAF base Pearce and those six people will be transferred immediately to that quarantine facility directly next door to the RAAF base,” he said.
Butler highlighted that the Bullsbrook facility is part of the Centres for National Resilience, which were established during the last pandemic. “It is still there. It is currently owned by the Commonwealth government and will be operated in partnership.”
Hantavirus and the Biosecurity Act
Hantavirus will now be listed as a human disease under the Biosecurity Act. This change will allow for a national, uniform quarantine response rather than state-based measures, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That listing will happen over the next 24 hours before the return of those Australians and that New Zealander,” Butler said. He noted that the virus has a long incubation period, up to 42 days, which means any isolation or quarantine for those potentially exposed will involve a lengthy period compared to other viruses.
Although human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare, it has occurred on the cruise ship. The World Health Organisation reported eight cases, with six resulting from transmission from the two original patients. Three of those patients have died.
National Decision-Making for Quarantine
Butler emphasized that the federal government believes quarantine and repatriation should be decided nationally rather than by individual states. “The Commonwealth has consulted with Western Australia, which was always going to be the first port of entry by this repatriation flight, and also with New South Wales and Queensland directly given all residents are of those two states.”
He added that the passengers will have to return on a long flight from Tenerife, unlike traveling to the UK, where a smaller plane might pose a higher risk of transmission during transit.
The involvement of WA health staff will depend on the condition of the passengers, and the centre will be operated by contract through the federal government.
Bullsbrook Centre and Its Controversial Past
The $400 million Bullsbrook centre was built to support the nation’s pandemic efforts. However, by the time it was completed in September 2022, the state had opened its borders, leaving the building dormant. It has since become a point of contention, with several proposed uses falling through, including a Department of Defence acquisition and ideas to use the facility to help ease the housing crisis for the homeless, students, and migrants.
The centre is currently managed by the Commonwealth’s Department of Finance. WA Premier Roger Cook said his government is ready to assist with the operation. “The federal government, of course, is undertaking the medical evacuation of them,” he said. “My public health teams stand ready to assist them with whatever challenges or mission outcomes they’re looking for.”
When asked about the risk of contamination from the passengers, Cook expressed confidence in the arrangements made by the Commonwealth.
Expert Opinion on Managing the Virus
Dr Kyle Hoath, president of the Australian Medical Association Western Australia, stated that there is no need for public concern over the spread of the virus. “I am confident WA Health will have a plan around how we manage these cases if they do need to be managed in a hospital environment.”
He noted that the Bullsbrook facility was originally planned for use in another COVID-19 outbreak and could be adapted for other infectious diseases. “All viruses are a little bit different, so how they present their communities, the transmission through which they’re spread, will be different. And so the plan will need to be specific to the hantavirus.”
Hoath explained that hantavirus requires very close contact to be spread, making it less contagious than COVID-19. “People don’t spread the hantavirus unless they are symptomatic and it normally takes quite a while for them to become symptomatic,” he said. “So it is a bit of a slower process than what we would have seen with covid.”
“Again, it is a real positive reminder around staying home if you are sick.”
