Asylum seekers in PNG test positive to coronavirus, prompting calls for them to be brought to Australia
4 years ago

Asylum seekers in PNG test positive to coronavirus, prompting calls for them to be brought to Australia

ABC  

Refugee advocates have called for the Australian government to bring all refugees and asylum seekers still in Papua New Guinea home amid the spiralling coronavirus outbreak there. Key points: Six refugees and asylum seekers in PNG have tested positive to coronavirus Refugee advocates say Australia has a duty of care to them The Australian government provides asylum seekers and refugees in PNG with assistance including housing and medical care Ninety refugees and 40 asylum seekers remain in PNG's capital Port Moresby under the Australian government's Regional Resettlement Arrangement following the closure of the Manus Island detention centre in 2019. "But the Australian government has a particular duty of care to the refugees they have kept for eight years and are still keeping in Papua New Guinea,” Mr Rintoul said. Barri Phatarfod, from Doctors 4 Refugees, said the Australian government should take responsibility for all the refugees and asylum seekers and bring them back to Australia.

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History of this topic

PNG asylum seekers stripped of government-provided housing and healthcare under new deal
3 months, 1 week ago

PNG asylum seekers stripped of government-provided housing and healthcare under new deal

ABC  

Asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea will be stripped of government-provided housing and healthcare under a new deal that forces them to cover all living expenses with a single allowance. A fact sheet from the Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority says the asylum seekers will receive an 1800-kina fortnightly spend — or 900 kina each week –which equates to about …

More than 60 refugees fear eviction as PNG and Australia disagree over 'outstanding invoices'
1 year, 5 months ago

More than 60 refugees fear eviction as PNG and Australia disagree over 'outstanding invoices'

ABC  

Shah Nawaz Hussain was just 19 when he fled his home in Pakistan to Indonesia, to board a boat destined for Christmas Island. He could have had no idea that what would follow would be a decade of living in Papua New Guinea, including years of detention on Manus Island under Australia's "PNG Solution". PNG's top migration official claims the …

Coronavirus outbreak at emergency refugee centre, as more provinces find beds
3 years, 4 months ago

Coronavirus outbreak at emergency refugee centre, as more provinces find beds

Dutch News  

At least 49 out of 320 residents at an emergency refugee centre in a sports hall in Goes have been diagnosed with coronavirus. The local health board decided to run tests on everyone at the centre this weekend after a number of asylum seekers developed coronavirus symptoms. Ministers urged the provinces to meet their obligations after the Ter Apel refugee …

Migrants seek release as COVID hits Melbourne detention facility
3 years, 4 months ago

Migrants seek release as COVID hits Melbourne detention facility

Al Jazeera  

Detainees describe their dire situation inside a Melbourne hotel as the government continues to hold them despite the spread of infection. Staff and contractors entering the APOD adhere to strict requirements governing physical distancing and use of Personal Protective Equipment.” It also mentioned, “The ABF and its service providers are working closely with Victorian health authorities to manage contact tracing, …

COVID-19 outbreak at Melbourne detention hotel sees 17 asylum seekers test positive, one admitted to hospital
3 years, 4 months ago

COVID-19 outbreak at Melbourne detention hotel sees 17 asylum seekers test positive, one admitted to hospital

ABC  

At least 17 asylum seekers detained in a Melbourne facility have tested positive to COVID-19, with one person being treated in hospital. Key points: The Park Hotel in Melbourne is being used as an alternative detention facility to house asylum seekers An asylum seeker who contracted COVID-19 there said he did not feel safe Australian Border Force says 55 per …

A breakdown of COVID outbreaks in each state and territory as positive cases cross borders
3 years, 8 months ago

A breakdown of COVID outbreaks in each state and territory as positive cases cross borders

ABC  

Millions of Australians are starting the week under new COVID-19 restrictions. Western Australia From midday on Sunday, new restrictions were imposed on the Perth and Peel regions for at least three days after a woman who had visited New South Wales tested positive. Friday, June 25 VA939 Sydney — Brisbane VA334 Brisbane — Melbourne Saturday, June 26 VA827 Melbourne — …

Victorian man who tested positive for COVID–19 was on same flight as Adelaide hotel case
3 years, 10 months ago

Victorian man who tested positive for COVID–19 was on same flight as Adelaide hotel case

ABC  

South Australia's Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier says it is most likely a Victorian man, who tested positive to COVID-19 yesterday, caught it while staying in hotel quarantine in Adelaide. Key points: A Victorian man tested positive for COVID–19 after doing hotel quarantine in Adelaide He was on the same flight as another case at the hotel Hotel guests …

NSW Health investigating possible COVID-19 transmission inside Sydney quarantine hotel
3 years, 10 months ago

NSW Health investigating possible COVID-19 transmission inside Sydney quarantine hotel

ABC  

New South Wales Health is investigating whether COVID-19 has spread inside a second Sydney quarantine hotel. NSW Health said they had tested negative on their day-two swabs in hotel quarantine, before subsequently testing positive for COVID-19 later during their quarantine periods. This latest incident comes just days after three people in one family acquired the virus from a family of …

Four more returned Australians test positive for COVID-19 in Howard Springs after arriving from India
3 years, 11 months ago

Four more returned Australians test positive for COVID-19 in Howard Springs after arriving from India

ABC  

Four more people have tested positive for coronavirus after arriving in the Northern Territory on repatriation flights from India. Key points: The new cases include returned Australians aged 8, 11, 38 and 60 Health authorities say all four cases are displaying mild symptoms The Howard Springs quarantine facility is expanding its intake of returned Australians from 850 to 2,000 a …

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape signals tighter COVID restrictions as Queensland remains on alert
4 years ago

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape signals tighter COVID restrictions as Queensland remains on alert

ABC  

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape is warning the country has entered a "red stage" of its COVID-19 epidemic, as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expresses concern about growing cases given PNG's proximity to Australia. Key points: The surge in cases came after thousands gathered at a state funeral in Port Moresby Australia's High Commissioner to PNG says Australia is …

Papua New Guinea COVID cases surge, Timor-Leste imposes first lockdown over outbreak fears
4 years ago

Papua New Guinea COVID cases surge, Timor-Leste imposes first lockdown over outbreak fears

ABC  

COVID-19 cases are continuing to surge in Papua New Guinea, prompting calls to fast-track vaccine access and sparking concerns across the Torres Strait in Australia. Key points: Timor Leste's capital Dili is entering a lockdown, while Port Moresby may also face lockdown measures Queensland has recorded several COVID cases from travellers arriving from Papua New Guinea There are fears the …

Papua New Guinea COVID cases surge
4 years ago

Papua New Guinea COVID cases surge

ABC  

COVID-19 cases are continuing to surge in Papua New Guinea prompting calls to fast-track vaccine access and sparking concerns across the Torres Strait in Australia. While the official figure of cases is 1,692, the epidemic is putting significant pressure on the country's fragile health system, including in the capital Port Moresby. Anna Maalsen, a World Health Organization official in PNG, …

Melbourne quarantine hotel outbreak climbs to three
4 years, 1 month ago

Melbourne quarantine hotel outbreak climbs to three

Daily Mail  

A hotel worker has tested positive for coronavirus just hours after a resident, bringing Melbourne's quarantine outbreak to three. The Victorian Department of Health announced a third case at Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport on Tuesday night, saying 'interviews are underway' to trace the worker's movements The woman was cleared to leave the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport but has since tested …

Melbourne hotel quarantine worker tests positive to coronavirus hours before Australian Open begins
4 years, 1 month ago

Melbourne hotel quarantine worker tests positive to coronavirus hours before Australian Open begins

Daily Mail  

Australia's east coast is on high alert for yet another coronavirus outbreak after two hotel quarantine breaches within hours of each other. NSW Health authorities are also scrambling after a traveller tested positive two days after they were released from hotel quarantine in Sydney. A hotel quarantine worker at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport has tested positive to coronavirus …

11 foreigners test positive for Covid-19 in Jamshedpur amid scare over mutant variant
4 years, 2 months ago

11 foreigners test positive for Covid-19 in Jamshedpur amid scare over mutant variant

Hindustan Times  

Jamshedpur was on the edge after 12 persons, including 11 foreign nationals, tested positive for Covid-19 positive on Thursday amid scare of new strain of coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom, officials said. “11 foreigners staying in the Fortune Centre Point Hotel here under Bistupur police station and a staff of the hotel tested Covid-19 positive here this evening. These …

Overseas travellers in hotel quarantine become SA's latest coronavirus cases
4 years, 5 months ago

Overseas travellers in hotel quarantine become SA's latest coronavirus cases

ABC  

A man and a woman in hotel quarantine have been confirmed as South Australia's latest coronavirus cases. A spokesperson said the State Government would be "carefully monitoring the data from New Zealand to determine when is the right time to join the travel bubble". Both Business SA chief executive Martin Haese and South Australian Tourism Industry Council chairman Eoin Loftus …

Fears not enough is being done to protect asylum seekers in Melbourne detention from coronavirus
4 years, 7 months ago

Fears not enough is being done to protect asylum seekers in Melbourne detention from coronavirus

ABC  

Asylum seekers in a Melbourne detention centre fear a lack of social distancing and a ban on alcohol-based hand sanitiser have left them vulnerable to coronavirus. Key points: Detainees in an immigration centre in Melbourne's north are barred from using alcohol-based hand sanitiser and fear nothing is being done to make sure people can socially distance Detainees in an immigration …

Melbourne coronavirus scare as NSW man who tested positive returned to work at Sydney Woolworths
4 years, 8 months ago

Melbourne coronavirus scare as NSW man who tested positive returned to work at Sydney Woolworths

ABC  

A Sydney man who spent two weeks in hotel quarantine in Victoria has tested positive for coronavirus after returning to NSW, sparking a crisis at the Woolworths he worked at. Key points: The man works in the self-service section of Woolworths and is believed to be "low-level" infectious The man works in the self-service section of Woolworths and is believed …

Coronavirus case in refugee camp on US-Mexico border raises alarm
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus case in refugee camp on US-Mexico border raises alarm

Al Jazeera  

Immigrant advocates intensely worried about the potential for an outbreak in a camp housing an estimated 2,000 migrants. After showing symptoms of the virus last Thursday, the migrant and three family members were placed in isolation and tested, Global Response Management, a nonprofit providing medical services in the camp, said in a statement. Since cases of coronavirus in Mexico began …

Why is Australia still accepting international travellers when most of our coronavirus cases are from overseas?
4 years, 8 months ago

Why is Australia still accepting international travellers when most of our coronavirus cases are from overseas?

ABC  

Despite a concerning uptick in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, overall the majority of cases recorded in Australia have come from overseas. "Over the four weeks ending Sunday June 21, 2020, most overseas-acquired cases have reported a travel history to the regions of southern and central Asia, north Africa and the Middle East or at sea," a spokeswoman …

First coronavirus case found in Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camps
4 years, 10 months ago

First coronavirus case found in Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camps

Al Jazeera  

Aid groups alarmed as Rohingya tests positive for COVID-19 in the densely populated camps, home to a million refugees. An ethnic Rohingya refugee and a local person tested positive for COVID-19, a senior Bangladeshi official and a United Nations spokeswoman said on Thursday. The other patient was from the “host population”, a term usually used to refer to locals living …

Papua New Guinea's PM James Marape tested for coronavirus after worker at COVID-19 operations centre tests positive
4 years, 11 months ago

Papua New Guinea's PM James Marape tested for coronavirus after worker at COVID-19 operations centre tests positive

ABC  

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape has been tested for coronavirus after a worker at the country's main emergency operations centre tested positive for COVID-19. Key points: PNG has now recorded seven cases of coronavirus A nightly curfew will now be in place Samples will be sent to Brisbane daily to be tested for COVID-19 The National Operations Centre …

Australia’s detained medical-evacuation refugees fear coronavirus
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia’s detained medical-evacuation refugees fear coronavirus

Al Jazeera  

Confined to one floor of a suburban hotel that remains open to guests, detainees worry about the risk of disease. Melbourne, Australia – Some 65 asylum seekers detained in a suburban hotel in Australia’s second -biggest city of Melbourne for months are concerned their cramped living conditions leave them highly susceptible to the novel coronavirus. “The Australian government have locked …

Over 100 people isolating in Sydney hotels to be tested for coronavirus as some restrictions eased
4 years, 11 months ago

Over 100 people isolating in Sydney hotels to be tested for coronavirus as some restrictions eased

ABC  

NSW Health says 110 people quarantining in Sydney hotels following overseas travel are being tested for COVID-19 after reporting symptoms. Key points: There were 104 new cases of coronavirus in NSW in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday Of the 41 people in intensive care units, four of those are aged in their 30s Rules around caravan parks, funerals, agricultural …

Asylum seekers plead to be released from detention centres amid coronavirus fears
4 years, 11 months ago

Asylum seekers plead to be released from detention centres amid coronavirus fears

ABC  

Hundreds of asylum seekers in Sydney's Villawood detention centre have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison pleading for their release amid the coronavirus pandemic. Key points: Detainees in Villawood detention centre are fearful they will contract the coronavirus They have written to the PM pleading to be released, under strict conditions Experts believe it is inevitable that …

First coronavirus case confirmed in Tasmania, after man who travelled from Iran tests positive for COVID-19
5 years ago

First coronavirus case confirmed in Tasmania, after man who travelled from Iran tests positive for COVID-19

ABC  

A man has tested positive for coronavirus after travelling from Iran to Launceston via Malaysia and Melbourne, Tasmanian authorities have confirmed. Key points: The 40-year-old man reported a mild cough before he presented at Launceston General Hospital on Saturday The man "self-isolated" after he underwent testing, the Tasmanian Minister of Health said, adding the public is "at low-risk" The man …

Asylum seekers in PNG hospital hope medevac bill will lead to a new life in Australia
6 years, 1 month ago

Asylum seekers in PNG hospital hope medevac bill will lead to a new life in Australia

ABC  

Refugees in a hospital in Port Moresby are hoping the passing of the medical evacuations legislation will give them not only access to treatment in Australia, but also settlement in the country. Key points: The medevac bill gives doctors more power to decide whether asylum seekers should come to Australia Some asylum seekers are worried immigration officials will prevent them …

Manus Island: Asylum seekers given 'negative' status could face indefinite detention in PNG
7 years, 6 months ago

Manus Island: Asylum seekers given 'negative' status could face indefinite detention in PNG

ABC  

Asylum seekers who have spent four years on Manus Island are now facing an indefinite stay in another detention centre in Papua New Guinea. Key points: The $20 million Bomana Detention Centre is being built in Port Moresby Asylum seekers whose claims are rejected and cannot return home may end up there Many threatened with further detention say they don't …

PNG Government says refugee assessments on Manus Island have been completed
8 years, 11 months ago

PNG Government says refugee assessments on Manus Island have been completed

ABC  

The Papua New Guinea Government says it has finished assessing whether the asylum seekers detained on Australia's behalf on Manus Island are refugees. Detainees said centre staff and immigration authorities were using a range of measures — including removing "credit points" used to make phone calls or buy cigarettes and restricting access to English classes — to make the refugees …

Papua New Guinea approves 50 applications from Manus Island asylum seekers but resettlement delayed
10 years, 3 months ago

Papua New Guinea approves 50 applications from Manus Island asylum seekers but resettlement delayed

ABC  

Papua New Guinea has approved 50 refugee applications from the 1,000 men on Manus Island, but is yet to resettle anyone. PNG's foreign minister Rimbink Pato said the assessment of asylum applications on Manus Island was going "full speed on every front". Australia is funding a new immigration detention centre near Port Moresby that PNG officials say is for asylum …

Federal Government approves plans for new detention centre near Port Moresby
10 years, 3 months ago

Federal Government approves plans for new detention centre near Port Moresby

ABC  

Australia is building a new immigration detention facility near Papua New Guinea's capital that PNG officials say is specifically for asylum seekers currently on Manus Island. "I can confirm that the Department will be building an immigration transit facility in Papua New Guinea," Federal Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, said. PNG Correctional Services spokesman Richard Mandui said the facility was "being …

Papua New Guinea moves to allay asylum seeker safety concerns ahead of Manus Island releases
10 years, 4 months ago

Papua New Guinea moves to allay asylum seeker safety concerns ahead of Manus Island releases

ABC  

Papua New Guinea's immigration minister says refugees released on temporary visas will be safe on Manus Island, despite fears of further attacks after deadly riots in February. "Their relatives will kill us, piece of cake for them," one asylum seeker told the ABC from the Manus Island detention centre. PNG's immigration minister declined to guarantee the safety of refugees released …

PNG prepares to give training, visas, job assistance to refugees detained on Manus Island
10 years, 4 months ago

PNG prepares to give training, visas, job assistance to refugees detained on Manus Island

ABC  

Papua New Guinea will start making final decisions on the refugee status of asylum seekers detained on Manus Island and prepare them for temporary resettlement in PNG. But PNG's immigration minister said there were accountants, architects, engineers, teachers and other skilled people being detained on Manus Island who could benefit Papua New Guinea's economy. "We welcome the Papua New Guinea …

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