Coronavirus: six passengers test positive after taking Emirates flight to Australia

The travellers, aged between 40 and 64, boarded the flight from Dubai on July 1

Protective barriers have been installed at Dubai International Airport at each check-in desk and immigration counter to provide additional safety reassurance to passengers and employees during interaction over the counter. Courtesy Emirates 

Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul airline, is adding more flights to its schedule. Bloomberg

Selected regular passenger flights are now operating out of Dubai's Terminal 3. Alamy

Social distancing measures in place at Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport. Courtesy Emirates

A man is seen through a thermal camera at Dubai International Airport on April 27, 2020, when repatriation flights were the only passenger options. Reuters

A passenger walks through Dubai International Airport on April 27, 2020, when repatriation flights only were running. Reuters

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Six passengers who travelled on an Emirates airlines flight to Western Australia have tested positive for Covid-19.

Officials said the four women and two men boarded flight EK420 bound for Perth on July 1, and were confirmed to have the virus following testing two days after landing.

Health authorities in Australia said the six people had been quarantined in a hotel, along with an undisclosed number of passengers on the same flight.

It is not yet clear where the six who tested positive contracted the virus, or if testing took place before they left Dubai.

People known to have interacted with the six confirmed cases on the flight, or who were seated in nearby rows, were advised to self-quarantine at home for 14 days.

All other passengers on board were told to closely monitor their health for two weeks and seek immediate medical attention if they experienced any symptoms.

"The six new cases, four women and two men aged between 40-64, were all passengers on a flight from Dubai which arrived in Perth on 1 July," a statement from the Department of Health in the state of Western Australia said.

"[They] returned positive test results following WA Health screening conducted on day two after their arrival."

An Emirates airline representative referred all questions to Australian health authorities.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, airlines around the world have introduced a number of safety measures to better protect passengers and crew.

Travellers entering Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai are required to wear face masks at all times and all check-in counters are fitted with special protective shields.

On the flights themselves, Emirates' aircraft are equipped with air filters which are known to filter out 99.9 per cent of viruses.

A complimentary hygiene kit containing gloves, a face mask, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser are also handed out to all those on board. The flight between Dubai and Perth takes approximately 11 hours.