A chartered flight to bring Australians from the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan back home has been delayed after it did not receive official clearance to land in China.
The Qantas flight was originally scheduled to leave Wuhan on Friday night.
The ABC reports the flight is now scheduled to leave Wuhan at 3.15am (AEDT) on Sunday once it gets approval.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said Australia is working with Chinese authorities to get clearance "as soon as possible".
Asked whether he was confident of an airlift, he told reporters on Saturday: "Yes, I am confident, but I can't absolutely guarantee it because it is indeed on Chinese soil."
On arrival in Australia,
Passengers will be sent to the Manigurr-ma Village at Howard Springs, 30km from Darwin, with Christmas Island unable to house another couple of hundred evacuees.
A government media release on Friday said they would be screened before boarding the plane in China and continuously monitored by medical staff during the flight.
Anyone found to be unwell on arrival at Darwin will be taken directly to the hospital, where they will be quarantined, according to the joint statement from Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Health Minister Greg Hunt and Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy.
Professor Murphy said those staying at the Howard Springs facility were unlikely to become infectious and their health would be closely monitored.
A group of Wuhan evacuees arrive at Christmas Island. Source: SBS News
"It is important people living in and around Howard Springs know the novel coronavirus can only be transmitted by close contact with an infectious person and cannot be spread through the air," he said.
"The health and safety of the Howard Springs community is of paramount importance and I am confident the security and public health measures put in place will prevent any risk to the community's health."
There had been reports some people living close to the Howard Springs facility were concerned evacuees would be brought to the area.
However, not everyone is bothered.
One woman at Darwin's Parap Markets on Saturday told SBS News she was "not worried at all”, while another woman said it was "really good to see the facility being used for something”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned people not to assume further evacuation flights will be possible, either from Wuhan or mainland China.
Australia has so far had 15 confirmed coronavirus cases: five in Queensland, four each in NSW and Victoria and two in South Australia.
Additional reporting by AAP
