Advertisement

Hobart man ignored COVID-19 quarantine order and returned to work

An unknown number of patrons and co-workers were exposed to COVID-19 contamination at Hobart's Grand Chancellor Hotel.

An unknown number of patrons and co-workers were exposed to COVID-19 contamination at Hobart's Grand Chancellor Hotel. Photo: Grand Chancellor

A young man in Hobart who has tested positive to coronavirus ignored health advice to self-isolate and worked at a major hotel in the city.

The student, aged in his 20s, arrived in Hobart on February 26 after travelling from Nepal and Singapore and suffered cold-like symptoms in the days following his arrival.

The revelation comes as the globe-girdling disease claimed its third Australian victim – an elderly man who appears to have caught the disease from an infected attendant at his Sydney nursing home.

The Australian Defence Force has also been touched by coronavirus, with two members ordered into isolation after testing positive for coronavirus.

One of the ADF members travelled to the ACT on February 28.

ACT health authorities say the second case is unrelated to the Canberra meeting.

Defence said on Sunday it was working to trace anyone who may have come into contact with the member who travelled to the ACT.

The ACT government told anyone who was on flights QF1509 or VA651 on February 28 to contact local health services.

The Hobart student was tested on Friday and advised to self-quarantine while awaiting results but didn’t comply and worked at Hobart’s Grand Chancellor Hotel.

A test result returned a positive reading for coronavirus late on Saturday.

Health authorities are working with the hotel to determine whether any of the man’s colleagues had “close contact” with him and require isolation.

He also worked several shifts at the hotel last week and twice briefly attended the Australian Ideal College.

“It is unacceptable to continue activities in public or attend work while waiting for the coronavirus virus test results,” state Public Health director Dr Mark Veitch said.

The man is in isolation at the Royal Hobart Hospital in a “satisfactory” condition, the heath department says.

He is second case of the virus in Tasmania, after a 40-year-old man tested positive in Launceston on Monday.

Four members of his household and three friends have been quarantined for two weeks.

-AAP

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.