Health Minister leading the fight against COVID-19 says he WON'T go into self-isolation despite coming into contact with Peter Dutton before he was diagnosed
- Queensland's Health Minister seated near Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton
- Steven Miles one of three state ministers at University of Sunshine Coast event
- Spokeswoman said her boss wouldn't need to go into self isolation for COVID-19
- Dr Miles was one of three state ministers seated near Mr Dutton early last week
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
A state health minister won't be going into self-isolation despite coming into contact with Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton just days before he was diagnosed with coronavirus.
Steven Miles, who leads the fight against COVID-19 in Queensland, was pictured sitting just three metres away from Mr Dutton on Monday last week at the opening of a university campus north of Brisbane.
The Home Affairs Minister announced on Friday he had tested positive to coronavirus, following a trip to the United States where he met top Trump Administration officials.
Steven Miles, who is charged with fighting COVID-19 in Queensland, was pictured sitting just metres from Mr Dutton on Monday at the opening of a university campus north of Brisbane
Despite being in close proximity to him, a spokeswoman for Dr Miles said her boss didn't need to self-isolate because he made been in contact with Mr Dutton more than 24 hours before he announced he had coronavirus.
'A person who attended the opening of the University of the Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay campus in Petrie on Monday, 9 March 2020 has tested positive to COVID-19,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'However, this person was not symptomatic until Thursday 12 March 2020, as such there is no need for people who attended the opening to self-quarantine and people will not be contacted as part of contact tracing linked to this specific case.'
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also similarly defended his reluctance to be tested for coroanvirus despite being in close contact with Mr Dutton.
Dr Miles wasn't the only Queensland Labor minister who last week came into close contact with Mr Dutton, with Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath, Multicultural Affairs Stirling Hinchliffe and federal Liberal Education Minister Dan Tehan also sharing the Petrie stage a week ago.
A state Liberal National Party backbencher from the Sunshine Coast, Dan Purdie, on Monday announced he would be going into self-isolation as a precaution after coming into contact with someone who had coronavirus.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (third, right) announced on Friday he had tested positive to coronavirus, following a trip to the United States where he met top Trump Administration officials including presidential adviser Ivanka Trump (fourth right), White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway (third left) and Attorney-General William Barr (centre)
Daily Mail Australia contacted his office to clarify if he had attended the University of the Sunshine Coast Moreton Bay campus opening on Monday last week.
'I have been in self-isolation for the past 72 hours at home after being notified by Queensland Health that contact tracing has shown I had been in contact with a confirmed coronavirus case,' he said in a statement.
'This is purely precautionary. I have no symptoms and feel 100 per cent.'
Mr Purdie is appearing in parliamentary committees via teleconference.
'I have been informed by Queensland Health that anyone who has had contact with me prior to receiving this notification does not need to be concerned or take any further steps as I have had no symptoms,' he said.
Queensland Health is contacting people who had contact with someone 24 hours before they were diagnosed with coronavirus.
So far, 61 people in the state have tested positive to coronavirus, compared with 171 in New South Wales and 71 in Victoria, with 350 cases and five deaths in Australia.
Despite being in close proximity to him, a spokeswoman for Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles (pictured) said her boss didn't need to self-isolate because he made been in contact with Peter Dutton more than 24 hours before he announced he had coronavirus
'Queensland Health will be contact tracing people for the period 24 hours prior to the case developing symptoms and the period after that till the case went into isolation,' the spokeswoman for Dr Miles said.
'People who had 15 minutes or more close contact or spent two hours or more in the same room will be asked to self-quarantine.'
Mr Dutton posed in a photograph with senior Trump Administration officials in the White House on March 7, two days before his appearance at the University of Sunshine Coast campus opening.
He stood next to senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump, and near American Attorney-General William Barr.
A state Liberal National Party backbencher from the Sunshine Coast, Dan Purdie, on Monday announced he would be going into self-isolation as a precaution after coming into contact with someone who had coronavirus
