As many may be aware, the Australian Government Department of Health and Queensland Health are currently monitoring the situation regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan in the Hubei Province of China.
There are now a number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Australia, including two confirmed cases in Queensland.
What is novel coronavirus?
The novel coronavirus (also called 2019-nCoV) is a new strain of coronavirus affecting humans.
Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold, and others can cause more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Symptoms include fever, flu-like symptoms such as a cough, fatigue, sore throat or headache, and difficulty breathing.
Queensland Health advises anyone with these symptoms who has travelled to or through China in the past 14 days to visit a GP immediately. Please call ahead and advise of symptoms and recent travel before an appointment so the clinic can take necessary precautions.
Advice to Clubs
All Football Queensland (FQ) affiliated clubs should stay up to date with advice issued by Queensland Health regarding the coronavirus (see links below).
All FQ affiliated clubs should also follow health and safety practices regarding the regular cleaning of equipment and facilities, including bathrooms, change rooms, canteens and common areas.
Safe hygiene practices in relation to food handling procedures should be reinforced, including the use of disposable gloves in canteens and food facilities, and the provision of hand washing/sanitizing facilities.
Advice to Participants
The Australian Government has provided the following advice to Australians:
- People who have been in contact with confirmed novel coronavirus cases must be isolated in their home for 14 days after exposure.
- Returned travellers who have been in Hubei Province of China must be isolated in their home for 14 days after leaving, other than for seeking individual medical care.
The following advice to all participants (players, coaches, managers, referees, club officials, volunteers and others) in Queensland is consistent with the above information issued by the Australian Government:
- Any participants who have been in contact with a person with confirmed novel coronavirus case must not attend any training sessions, matches, trials, events or other activities conducted by FQ or an FQ affiliated club until 14 days after exposure to the infected individual, providing they do not show coronavirus symptoms.
- Any participants who have visited Hubei Province of China in the past two weeks must not attend any training sessions, matches, trials, events or other activities conducted by FQ or an FQ affiliated club until 14 days after their date of departure from China, providing they do not show coronavirus symptoms.
If you have travelled to China in the last 14 days and are unwell, call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for health advice.
Queensland Health Coronavirus Advice
To protect yourself and others from infection, practice good hand and respiratory hygiene including:
- Cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs
- Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing
- Avoiding contact with anyone who has flu-like symptoms
- Avoiding unprotected contact with live wild or farm animals
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