Alan Jones burst out laughing at the federal health minister after he struggled to explain what “self-isolating” from the coronavirus actually means for families.
The 2GB host claimed on Wednesday that he has been receiving dozens of calls from doctors and citizens asking how official health advice works in real-life situations.
“Does the bloke sleep with his wife, or not?” Jones asked minister Greg Hunt. “Does the bloke eat at the table with his wife?”
“Does … mum and dad send their kids off to school tomorrow, even though dad has tested positive and he’s meant to be home-isolated?
“Families are ringing me, and I don’t know the answer to that, I can’t provide an answer!”
Mr Hunt – whose government announced a $2.4 billion scheme to fund pop up clinics across the country – didn’t address Jones’ scenarios directly.
He said it was important for people to “keep that separation of more than a metre” from one another, before reiterating official advice in a lengthy explanation.
“If they’re not doing that, you can either have an individual who is isolated.
“Or if they are in close contact with those around them, the expectation would be that the family is not spreading out through the community.
“That’s the clear medical advice.”
That made Jones burst into laughter.
“That still is not clear … I’ve got doctors ringing me,” he said.
Mr Hunt said the government has a “principals committee” which would make sure families are provided with “additional advice.”
“The point of isolation is to keep people who were at risk, from the community and where there is someone who is actually diagnosed, they will actually be in hospital at the more severe end … or, if you have moderate symptoms, being at home, and you’ve been diagnosed, keeping a space from the rest of your family,” he said.
Jones said he still didn’t understand and “nor does anybody … I don’t think anybody knows what self-(quarantine) means”.
As of Wednesday morning, over 116 Australians have tested positive for COVID-19.
