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Chinese visitor to Bali ‘tests positive for coronavirus’

The West Australian
Authorities are scrambling to find out whether other tourists are at risk.
Camera IconAuthorities are scrambling to find out whether other tourists are at risk. Credit: VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images

A Bali tourist has reportedly tested positive to coronavirus, leaving authorities scrambling to find out whether other visitors are at risk.

The Jakarta Post reports the man had flown into Bali’s Denpasar Airport from Wuhan - the epicentre of the deadly virus outbreak - on Lion Air flight JT2618 on January 22.

The man spent a week on the holiday island before flying to Shanghai on Garuda Indonesia flight GA858 on January 28.

The news outlet cites a Weibo social media post when it reports the person tested positive to coronavirus shortly after they returned home on February 5.

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“For passengers on the aforementioned flights, please enact preventative measures immediately,” wrote the Anhui administration on its Weibo account.

Representatives from both airlines which carried the traveller have not received official notification of the diagnosis and are investigating the reports.

Bali Provincial Health Agency chief Ketut Suarjaya told 7NEWS it is unclear whether the tourist was carrying the virus while holidaying in Indonesia.

“I think there is a small possibility...,” he said.

However, he said Indonesia was trying to find out where the man had visited on the island so investigations could be carried out.

“I think there is a small possibility that he was infected by the virus before he visited Bali,” Mr Suarjaya said.

“However, we will recheck all the facts. We will follow up the information.

“We will trace all the places he had visited. Of course, we will raise our alert.”

As of Thursday, there had been 45,222 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1,118 people had died from the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a travel ban preventing Chinese visitors and students from entering Australia may be extended as part of the government's response to the virus outbreak.

“The current ban extends to this weekend and we will be consider those issues on the best medical advice,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

The ramifications are particularly bad for Australia's university sector, which has 68,000 Chinese foreign students locked out because of the travel ban.

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