Australia to use bio-security law to restrict movements of coronavirus patients

Australia, on Tuesday, said it would use a little-known bio-security law to restrict the movements of people suspected of having the coronavirus, its Attorney-General said.

The country had, on Monday, confirmed the first community transmission of coronavirus after a doctor contracted it.

However, State health officials said the unidentified doctor has not travelled overseas in months and had not treated any of the other confirmed cases.

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According to Attorney-General Christian Porter, amid fears of a widespread outbreak, the government will expand the use of a rarely used law that would designate places out of bounds.

“Under the Bio-security Act, you could have the prevention of movement from persons in and out of particular places.

“You might have a major sporting event where people would be in very, very close proximity to each other and it might be determined that the risk of transmission at a venue like that was too high,’’ Porter said.

The law, enacted in 2015, has rarely been used outside Australia’s agricultural sector.

Earlier, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a pandemic was likely and Australia has moved to prevent the virus from reaching its shores.

Since Feb. 1, Australia has stopped any foreigner from entering directly from China, where the virus originated.

China is Australia’s largest trading partner and the move has prevented thousands of students and tourists from entering Australia.

Some Chinese students have travelled to a third country for some time, the incubation period for the coronavirus, which satisfies Australia’s quarantine restrictions.

However, authorities confirmed on Tuesday that one such student, a 20-year old Chinese man, has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

The unidentified man spent two weeks in Dubai before travelling to Australia.

Australia now has 38 cases of coronavirus after New South Wales confirmed four more.

Australia has had one death, a 78-year-old man, who was a former passenger on the Diamond Princess Cruise ship which was quarantined in Japan.

Morrison urged Australians to remain calm as some rushed to shops to stock up on supplies, including canned foods and toilet paper in case of a pandemic or restrictions on movement. (dpa)