KONTAN.CO.ID - SYDNEY. Australia will begin screening passengers arriving from a Chinese city in a bid to stop the spread of a new coronavirus, the country's chief medical officer said on Tuesday, although authorities warned that an outbreak would be hard to prevent. Chinese authorities have confirmed more than 200 people have caught the new virus, which causes a type of pneumonia that has killed four people in the central city of Wuhan. The virus - which can pass from person-to-person - broke out in Wuhan but four cases have been reported in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, raising concerns about its spread through international air travel.
Brendan Murphy, the chief medical officer for the Australian government, said biosecurity officials would begin screening passengers arriving on the three weekly flights to Sydney from Wuhan starting on Thursday. Passengers would be given an information pamphlet and asked to present themselves if they had a fever or suspected they might have the disease. Murphy said the measures only offered limited protection. "You cannot absolutely prevent the spread of disease into the country. The incubation period is probably a week," Murphy told reporters in Canberra. "It's about identifying those with a high risk and making sure those who have a high risk know about it and know how to get medical attention." Read Also: Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding boosted China is the largest source of tourists to Australia, with more than 1 million people arriving last year.