CORONAVIRUS —
SEAFARERS — PORT HEDLAND
494. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the minister representing the
Minister for Health:
I refer to and seek clarification on
the response to question without notice 475 asked yesterday about the practice
of transferring of foreign seafarers to shore and onto outbound aircraft at
Port Hedland International Airport.
(1) If, as the
minister says when referring to a 14-day quarantine period, ''It is not
a WA Health requirement for international
seafarers to undertake a two-week quarantine period on board the vessel prior
to the transfer off the vessel as
this would not guarantee that there is not a COVID-l9 outbreak on board the
vessel'', how does the minister guarantee that there is no
infection of COVID-19 among seafarers when they are being transferred through
the community of Port Hedland?
(2) If, as the minister says, seafarers are not
required to be tested prior to disembarkation if the vessel has been
granted pratique and the crew on board are well, when are the seafarers tested?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided by the
Minister for Health.
(1) WA Health manages COVID-19 risks of international
seafarers by mandating the use of infection prevention and control measures for both seafarers and
transport workers through the Maritime Crew Member Directions and the
Transport and Accommodation Services (Exposed Maritime Worker) Directions.
These directions stipulate various
requirements, including that travel must occur via a dedicated conveyance for
international seafarers and that strict infection prevention and control
measures are applied.
(2) Testing is
arranged by the Department of Health for international seafarers when there is
concern of COVID-19 illness on a vessel.