Do not fear people near illness

FOR the past two weeks, Ken Hudson watched the coronavirus hysteria spread faster than the illness.

The Pittsworth man – currently in quarantine after coming in close contact with virus sufferers aboard the Diamond Princes – said fears he would bring the illness home were unfounded.

“We have been given some of the best medical care available, and we have been swab-tested every day,” he said.

Mr Hudson flew to Australia on Wednesday night, along with about 180 Australians and New Zealanders, to start a second round of quarantine at Howards Springs in the Northern Territory.

They will be monitored around the clock, with regular temperature checks.

“We had 50 doctors on the Diamond Princess and a similar number of nursing staff,” Mr Hudson said.

“There would be people coming through the Brisbane airport who have not had anywhere near the same level of checks that we had.”

Since arriving on the mainland, a South Australian and a

West Australian are confirmed to have contracted the illness, presenting symptoms that include a runny nose.

Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said authorities prepared for the possibility evacuees would bring COVID-19 with them.

“Given there was continued evidence of spread of infection on board the Diamond Princess in recent days, the development of some positive cases after their return to Australia is not unexpected, despite all of the health screening before departure,” he said.

While he understood why people are scared, Mr Hudson said he – along with his fellow quarantined Australians – would do everything in his power to make sure he was healthy before heading home.

“We do not want to go home to be scared to give our grandkids a hug,” he said.

“We do not want to spread the virus and we are confident that will not happen.”

The Diamond Princess outbreak is the largest cluster of coronavirus cases outside mainland China.

More than 620 passengers and crew tested positive for the virus, including 46 Australian citizens.