2020 BRN Discussion, page-20601

Brainchip should consider contacting NSW Health as well as states and territories.

An article in this morning’s Sydney Morning Herald.

NSW to consider testing international travellers before they board for SydneyBy Amelia McGuireDecember 14,

The state government and NSW Health are considering stricter COVID-19 testing protocols for returned travellers and airline crew in a bid to keep the state safe.NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told The Sydney Morning Herald that he and senior NSW Health officials have begun discussions with representatives from international airlines.Health Minister Brad Hazzard is exploring ways to fine-tune hotel quarantine, including potentially working with international airlines to test passengers and crew upon departure and arrival in Australia. "We're exploring whether airlines are able to test passengers and airline staff before they board an international flight as well as whhether it's viable to then test them again upon arrival in Australia," he said."We need international freight and passenger flights to continue to come to NSW. We all know the challenges we face, the question is how to make it safer."On Sunday, NSW reported no locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the 11th consecutive day since a housekeeper employed by the Ibis and Novotel hotels tested positive on December 2. Monday will mark 14 days since she last used public transport, on which she wore a mask.A spokesperson for NSW Health said investigations into the source of the infection are ongoing and close contacts of the hotel worker continued to be tested. So far, “no further positive results have been identified”.Three cases of COVID-19 were reported in returned travellers on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4453 since the pandemic began.Mr Hazzard said COVID-19 testing standards varied from country to country and that discussions about pre-flight testing have only just begun.
"We might have to look at determining the most high-risk countries and which countries have tests we can rely on by developing a system that recognises the relative risk on a number of criteria," he said.