Read on Twitter
Apologies in advance. I am going to try and pull together some linked threads that have come together during the week about contact tracing and access to an individual's contact information to prevent ongoing chains of infection
Limiting access to traveller contact details places a greater importance on an individual's righ to not have their details shared, over their right to know they may have been exposed to #COVID19 (from a known infectious case) or other conditions such as #measles and #tuberculosis
It is worth noting the purpose of sharing the contact information is to allow public health and other authorities to let the traveller know about their potential exposure, so they can take steps to get tested and go into quarantine, preventing onward transmission to others
We raised this issue in relation to measles in 2013: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/199/6/risk-measles-transmission-aeroplanes-australian-experience-2007-2011
In that letter we suggested the following arrangements: "This would require airlines to keep travel manifests for at least 14 days after a flight." Referring to a domestic flight. This would be similar to what is currently required for international flights
You can see the impact of the current inadequate arrangements here at the ~18 minute mark in the press conference, the #Queensland CHO identifies the issue of trying to trace people who are potentially exposed to a known infectious case of #COVID19 https://www.facebook.com/QLDHealth/videos/639238200044895/
Dr Young: "I don't think we should allow people to get onto a domestic flight and fly interstate because we've got 14 people we are trying to contact who were on that plane. Two of those people had no contact details."
"The airline cannot tell me how I can get hold of those two people because there is no requirement for domestic planes to keep contact details. There is a requirement for international flights and we know all of those people and we can contact them all"
"But for domestic flights we are struggling today to find two of those 14 people."
There is a follow up question from a reporter that is difficult to hear, but parts of it sounds something like "shouldn't this be a requirement?"
Dr Young: "Yes. Absolutely. Of course it should be, I have pushed for it. Yes I will continue to push for it"
Dr Young: "Yes. Absolutely. Of course it should be, I have pushed for it. Yes I will continue to push for it"
So for domestic flights, airlines can add frequent flyer points to your account retrospectively, but for some reason their methods of keeping manifest prevents them from providing full contact details for those who have been exposed and may have been infected with COVID19
This is a logistical issue. But there are other restrictions place on data sharing due to #privacy legislation
For example: in a press conference yesterday, the #primeminister was asked about issues around sharing #manifest information form the #RubyPrincess at about the 32:30 mark by @andrewprobyn https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=288138249158524
AP: "There was an inability or a refusal of border force and the federal health department in sharing the passenger manifest to allow the airlines to stop passengers, potentially infected passengers, travelling Australia and travelling the world."
"Can you pledge here that you will ensure at least a protocol is established so that #cruiseship manifests are shared with those who need it including airlines?"
The response from the #PM and the #CMO includes reference to privacy laws. The PM refers to the restrictions that are placed on the sharing of information by governments
The #CMO states: "Only just to reiterate the PM's comments about privacy and the importance of that."
"We work very closely with @virginaustralia and @qantas in other ways, but not in this one"
"We work very closely with @virginaustralia and @qantas in other ways, but not in this one"
Details in this article
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-14/border-force-ruby-princess-qantas-virgin-manifest-coronavirus/12550558
again by @andrewprobyn show how difficult it was to try and reduce the risk of disease spread: "But Border Force told Virgin it could not share information from the Ruby Princess passenger list for reasons of privacy."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-14/border-force-ruby-princess-qantas-virgin-manifest-coronavirus/12550558
again by @andrewprobyn show how difficult it was to try and reduce the risk of disease spread: "But Border Force told Virgin it could not share information from the Ruby Princess passenger list for reasons of privacy."
Further: "The Qantas medical department contacted the Federal Health Department and Border Force on the afternoon of 21 March requesting the manifest."
"The Department of Health told Qantas it could not have the manifest due to privacy reasons."
"The Department of Health told Qantas it could not have the manifest due to privacy reasons."
"It was becoming a very circular argument: Qantas was being advised to prevent Ruby Princess passengers flying, but was not being told who those passenger were - and when Qantas asked for the manifest, the airline was told it couldn't have it."
It seems crazy, incredible, preposterous that current privacy laws prevented the sharing of important personal information that could have been used to limit exposure of other people to a potentially fatal infectious disease
In the middle of a once-in-a-century #pandemic when an individual's right to privacy, or even their assumed right to privacy, outweighs the right of others to not be infected, there is clearly a requirement for privacy laws to be changed
So at the end of all of that, we really need for public health and other officials trying to restrict the spread of communicable diseases to have access to, and be able to share, names/phone number/email and physical addresses of people who are cases and their contacts
Privacy laws are not some holy statutes that are immutable. Where there are deficiencies in such laws that put the health and well being of people at risk, they should be changed
Along with this, domestic airlines should be required to provide individual details of travellers for up to 14 days following domestic flights in Australia. This information is often need urgently to protect the well being of all travellers and their contacts at home
