Darwin’s Mayor Kon Vatskalis has put himself into home isolation following a trip to China with his wife.
He returned to Darwin from Southern China on Wednesday after visiting his wife’s family in Longyan, 550km north east of Shenzhen – a city where there have not been any cases of the coronavirus currently reported.
Mr Vatskalis’ initiative is in accordance with the introduction of a Federal Government ban on arrivals from China, with exceptions for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their family members. Despite his decision to self-isolate as a precaution, Mr Vatskalis said that he was not worried even though the NT government announced that a person on the same flight as the mayor was being tested for the coronavirus. The test, however, confirmed that the passenger did not have the virus.
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“For the first few days we went out briefly to buy some essentials but since yesterday, with the announcement from the Prime Minister all people who arrive from china in the last 14 days have to self-isolate themselves, I’m quite happy to do so,” Mr Vatskalis told the ABC, adding that he was far away from Wuhan, believed to be the epicentre of the virus.
“If I was going to be sick, I’d be showing symptoms by now. I don’t have any symptoms, I’d quite right.”
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He sent a message to his constituents to remain calm and not rely on information from Facebook, however he added that he understood why people were worried.