Health and government authorities approved a COVID-positive family to fly in from overseas to Australia last week on a privately-funded medevac flight, despite ongoing calls to limit the number of overseas arrivals.
Health and government authorities approved a COVID-19 positive family to fly in from overseas to Australia last week on a privately-funded medevac flight, despite ongoing calls to limit the number of overseas arrivals.SA Health and federal authorities sanctioned the flightThe ABC understands authorities knew the family was positive for coronavirus before approving the flight, which is understood to be the first of its kind to land in South Australia since the pandemic began.
"A family — a male and female adult and a child, from South-East Asia — were repatriated into South Australia last week by a private medical evacuation company," Dr Kirkpatrick said. SA Health said the child had been cleared of COVID–19, while the adults were in Tom's Court — a medi-hotel used exclusively for COVID-positive patients.The medical evacuation flight was paid for by the family.
SA Health and federal officials sanctioned the flight and arranged ground transport and the use of the medi-hotel system. Dr Kirkpatrick said the flight's crew was managed in the same way as flight crews aboard other repatriation flights.The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Border Force have been contacted for comment.
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