Australia has adequate facilities in mainland Australia to support and quarantine people who need to return to Australia from Wuhan so why the panic? Why has Minister Dutton made this this an Operation Sovereign Borders issue?
We agree with the head of the AMA Dr Tony Bartone who says until now, Australia has handled the situation well and followed international guidelines but there is no need to send more than 100 people to Christmas Island or make them pay for the flight! Indeed it is a disproportionate, knee-jerk reaction .
The Government claims to be acting on medical advice but won’t say what that is.
As Dr Bartone points out, there would be facilities in Australia, including defence facilities, where these people could be securely transported and monitored during the quarantine period without putting other Australian’s at risk. The USA has recently evacuated some of its citizens from China, and they are being quarantined in mainland USA. See here
Dr Roger Yazbek, Democrats health campaigner