A Melbourne man has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Victoria from Western Australia.
According to Australian media, the man arrived back in the southern Australia state on Wednesday and was told that he was a close contact of a positive case in Perth. The man had previously been in the Perth Mercure hotel, with someone in the room adjacent found to have COVID-19.
After being told he was a close contact, he travelled home and isolated. On Friday morning, he tested positive for the virus. As the case was recorded in Victoria, it has been added to that state's total, bringing an end to its run of more than 50 days without any community infections.
The man, who is asymptomatic, has three household contacts. Authorities are speaking to others who were on his flight.
He is being praised by the state's Health Minister, Martin Foley, for doing "all the right things" after being told he was a close contact.
"We will be examining the gentleman’s movements, particularly through the airport, where he did where a mask, as he did on the flight," Foley said.
"It just goes to show here is a gentleman who did exactly the right thing, showed no signs of the illness and as a result of our friends in WA notifying him and notifying us we were able to immediately get on to this case."
Foley said it was a timely reminder the pandemic is not yet over.
