TWO men, a man in his 70s and another in his 50s, have become the fifth and sixth confirmed coronavirus cases in Canberra.

ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman confirmed the two cases this afternoon (March 20), saying the man in his 70s was on three flights, two international flights, and one domestic flight on Wednesday. ACT Health are now working to identify close contacts.

Close contacts include anyone sitting in rows 42-46 on flight EY450 from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, which arrived at 6am, March 18, and anyone sitting in rows 3-7 on flight VA640 from Sydney to Canberra, arriving at 11am on March 18, too.

ACT Health is still trying to confirm the individual’s seat location on another flight and currently considers any Canberran who was on flight EY78 from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi, which arrived at 5.55am local time on March 17 to be a close contact.

Any Canberrans sitting in these specific rows are asked to call the Communicable Disease Control Section of ACT Health on 5124 9213 as soon as possible. They are also asked to quarantine themselves.

ACT Health say the man has complied with self-quarantining directions and a small number of household close contacts have been identified and contacted and are self-quarantining.

Anyone else travelling on these flights in other rows are not considered to be a close contact, and as a precaution, should monitor their health until March 31, according to ACT Health. Self-quarantine is not required.

The other confirmed case, a man in his 50s, recently returned from overseas where ACT Health believe he was exposed to the novel coronavirus.

He has complied with self-quarantining directions for travellers returning from overseas and is now isolating with ACT Health support.

A small number of close contacts have been identified and will be contacted as a priority today.

Due to the individual’s specific travel arrangements ACT Health does not consider there to be any travel close contacts.

The total number of confirmed cases in the ACT is now 6.

More information at health.act.gov.au

People who are concerned and want further information on the virus, can also call the Australian Government’s Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.