Young NSW Origin fans to face quarantine

NSW children travelling to Melbourne will be banned from school for seven days on
their return under tough new anti-swine flu measures.
In a move that affects children taken to Wednesday night's State Of Origin rugby
league match in Melbourne, NSW Health wants parents to keep children away from
school if they travel to the southern capital's greater metropolitan area.
Victoria has upgraded its swine flu response from contain to a modified sustain
phase after confirmed cases in the state leapt to 521.
"From (Thursday) children who have travelled to greater metropolitan Melbourne will
be required to stay away from school for seven days after their return to NSW," NSW
Health spokesman Dr Jeremy McAnulty said.
"This is the same policy that has been in place for overseas travellers returning
from countries affected by human swine influenza."
He said several hundred NSW children were expected to attend the State Of Origin
rugby league match between NSW and Queensland in Melbourne at the 53,000-seat Etihad
Stadium.
"I want to get the message out to their parents as quickly as possible, that those
children should not attend school when they get back to NSW," he said.
The new measures also applied to NSW teachers but Dr McAnulty said other adults who
travel south of the border had no need to quarantine themselves.
"We know this is a big impost on parents and children who miss out on school for a
week, but we're trying to balance that against the risk of introducing human swine
influenza into schools and the flow on affect that would have (to schools and the
broader community)."
Victoria has been forced to close a number of schools since swine flu was first
detected in the state.
NSW currently has 70 swine flu cases, with test results from 16 people on the Dawn
Princess cruise ship due later on Wednesday.
The ship is due to return to Sydney on Friday with 1,996 passengers and 850 crew
after a 13-day South Pacific cruise.
Samples taken from passengers and crew with flu-like symptoms were flown to Sydney
after the ship was ordered to anchor off New Caledonia on Tuesday.
A total of 54 of NSW's 70 cases came from last week's Pacific Dawn cruise, a sister
ship to the Dawn Princess.
Fourteen cases were associated with overseas travel and two were acquired in
Victoria, NSW health authorities said.
A total of 1,165 NSW residents have been assessed by public health officials, with
153 remaining current suspected cases, NSW health says.