Prime Minister listed as casual contact
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The prime minister has returned two negative COVID-19 tests after he was deemed to be a casual contact by NSW Health.
Scott Morrison was notified late on Tuesday night an event he was at on the previous Friday evening was an exposure location but has since been told he does not need to isolate.
It is understood that NSW Health and the chief medical officer provided advice to the prime minister that an event at Kirribilli House with South Korean President Moon Jae-in could go ahead on Tuesday night.
Mr Morrison will receive another test on day six of his exposure in line with NSW Health guidelines with his planned trip to Queensland on Wednesday to go ahead.
But passengers on two flights are not so lucky after being told they will need to spend Christmas in quarantine.
Passengers on a flight from Newcastle to Brisbane and one from Brisbane to Townsville, both on Monday, were deemed by Queensland Health to be close contacts and will spend two weeks in quarantine despite being fully vaccinated.
Federal deputy Nationals leader and Queensland MP David Littleproud warned Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk not to overreact to cases after borders opened, especially in the lead-up to Christmas.
“There are going to have to be cases and we are going to have to learn to live with that in Queensland,” he told Sky News.
“Queensland is prepared to give the premier some slack but please don’t overreact. Let us understand the science before you’re asking us to have our rights impinged, particularly at Christmas time.”
Deakin University chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett hopes the government will review the decision due to the low risk of transmission on a plane, where everyone has masks.
Professor Bennett said while Omicron was more transmissible and there had been evidence of the variant infecting people on planes, people further away from the positive person were unlikely to catch the virus.
“If they are not seeing anyone turn positive or only people sitting close then they might be able to ease the requirements on those people sitting further away,” she told Sky News.
NSW recorded 1360 and one new death, the states highest total in around three months, while Victoria recorded 1405 and three deaths on Wednesday.
It comes as Tasmania opened its borders on Wednesday to fully vaccinated travellers who have returned a negative test.
Premier Peter Gutwein said extra resources would be on the ground at Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmanian airports to sure people travelling had access to the right information.
“Tasmania over the last 22 months has kept itself one of the safest places on the planet,” he told the ABC.
“With vaccination rates as high as what they are, one of the most vaccinated places in the country and on the planet, now is the right time to open. But obviously, we need to do that carefully and sensibly.”
Australian visa holders will also be able to return on Wednesday almost two years after the nation’s international borders closed due to the pandemic.
Skilled workers and international students are allowed to come into Australia without needing a travel exemption.
The government estimates about 235,000 visa holders would be eligible to enter the country, including an estimated 133,000 international students.
