ACT health authorities have uncovered more close contacts of the second person to test positive for COVID-19 in the territory, as it is revealed a Legislative Assembly member has been tested for the virus.
Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson arrived home from Jakarta on Saturday and after coming down with a sore throat and a cough was tested at the Weston Creek walk-in centre on Sunday.
He said he had not come in contact with any other Legislative Assembly members in that time and has self isolated since coming home.
"I'm feeling fine now. I went straight home from the airport," Mr Pettersson said.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said three more potential close contacts of the ACT's second confirmed virus case, announced on Monday, had now been identified.
In total, health authorities still need to get in contact with four close contacts of the man.
Some nine close contacts are being tested for COVID-19 or have been.
One has returned a negative result while the remaining eight are pending.
She said other potential close contacts may be identified as more information comes to hand.
A close contact is considered someone who has spent 15 minutes in close contact with a person, or two hours in the same enclosed indoor venue.
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Ms Stephen-Smith said the man in his 30s, who is believed to have contracted the virus at a private event in NSW, was recovering well at home, in self isolation.
"At this stage, we do not have community transmission of COVID-19 in the ACT, but we are taking early, precautionary, risk based and preemptive measures, to ensure that we minimise the risk our community, and particularly to those who are most vulnerable," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
She said Canberra Hospital had access to 67 ventilators, and would be able to double its current intensive care unit capacity.
"At the moment the advice I have is that Canberra Health Services is pretty confident in the numbers [of ventilators] that it has, but we are continuing to look at sourcing all types of equipment that might be needed, across our health system," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
There have been two confirmed cases of the virus in the ACT. The first was also a man in his 30s who authorities believe contracted the virus in Queensland.
Ms Stephen-Smith declared the territory's first ever public health emergency on Monday, giving the chief health officer special powers to take any action to keep the public safe.
As of midday on Tuesday, there had been 1389 negative tests results and two positive in the ACT.
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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