The ACT continues to have zero active Coronavirus cases, as all bar one of 166 returned travellers from the Government-facilitated flight to Canberra on 8 February completed their mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and walked free at midnight last night.
One of the returned travellers, a woman in her 30s, yesterday returned a weak positive result for COVID-19 during mandatory exit testing for hotel quarantine.
She remains in hotel quarantine and is being supported by ACT Health.
The individual had COVID-19 in December 2020 while overseas but recovered and was given permission to fly to Australia.
She returned a negative COVID-19 test before departing for Australia, and again on day one of hotel quarantine, but yesterday’s test recorded a weak positive result.
ACT Health believes the result is “almost certainly” due to her known previous infection and reflects “prolonged shedding of virus fragments” which they say is known to happen intermittently for up to several months after a person is no longer infectious.
“We are confident the individual is not infectious and not a risk to the community. There is no risk to hotel and government staff from this recovered case,” ACT Health said.
“As a precaution, however, further tests will be done today before the individual is released from hotel quarantine.”
And a male diplomat in his 60s also returned a test result consistent with an historic infection of COVID-19, as part of his mandatory exit test in quarantine.
ACT Health said the test result reflected prolonged shedding of virus fragments and were confident the individual was not infectious and posed no risk to the community.
Authorities will conduct further tests as a precaution.
The individual currently remains in quarantine and is being supported by ACT Health.
General information
ACT Health advises “it is everyone’s responsibility to follow the health advice and do what we can to ensure we keep ourselves and the community safe”. ACT Health asks Canberrans to:
- Physically distance from other groups whenever possible
- Continue good hand and respiratory hygiene
- Use the Check In CBR app to check in when out and about
- Stay home if you are unwell
- Get tested if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
The ACT Government has a dedicated COVID-19 website for all information about the health and economic response to the pandemic in the ACT. For further information, visit www.covid19.act.gov.au.
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