A New South Wales man has become the 26th person in Australia to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, as a travel ban on foreign nationals arriving from Iran comes into operation.
The man in his 40s developed mild symptoms after returning to Sydney from Iran on 22 February, a week before the travel ban was enacted.
He has now been admitted to Sydney's Westmead Hospital after testing positive for the virus on Friday, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said on Sunday.
A second man in his 50s is also undergoing testing for the coronavirus following preliminary laboratory results.
“Travellers from Iran should be particularly vigilant for symptoms as there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 activity there in recent days,” she said.
People entering Australia from affected countries have been encouraged to watch out for symptoms of the virus, now known as COVID-19, including fever, cough, runny nose and shortness of breath.
“Anyone with these symptoms should isolate themselves from others and practice simple hygiene by covering their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow and washing their hands thoroughly,” Dr Chant said.
At least 500 people have been infected and 43 people have died as a result of the virus in Iran - the highest death toll outside of China.
Globally, there have been more than 84,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, as infection rates soar in Italy, South Korea and Iran.
On Saturday, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a new travel ban on foreign nationals from Iran entering Australia would come into force from 1 March due to the "high death rate" in the country.
"There is likely, at this stage, a high level of undetected cases, and therefore those cases won't be intercepted or identified on departure from Iran," he said.
The government also raised its travel advice for Iran to "do not travel" on Saturday, after a 63-year-old Gold Coast woman was diagnosed with the virus despite not showing symptoms as she left Iran.
Questioned on whether Australia would be introducing travel bans for countries other than Iran and China, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told ABC's Insiders said it wasn't "possible to extend the ban to every country".
"We'll see what phase we move into next, but there's particular concern about the lack of reporting out of Iran," he said.
No travel restrictions have so far been put in place for South Korea, which currently has the highest number of reported cases outside China.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday morning, Mr Hunt reiterated that Australia was not "immune" from the condition and more cases were likely.
"We can, however, dramatically reduce and mitigate the consequences Australia," he said. "Through the actions we have taken from the 21 January onwards, we have been able to protect Australians ... focusing on early identification, isolation, treatment and containment."
Under the new restrictions, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family who've travelled to Iran will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
