All 618 personnel on board the HMAS Adelaide have tested negative to COVID-19 after the compulsory 12 days of tests and 14-day quarantine period. [Source: Ministry of Health]

All 618 personnel on board the HMAS Adelaide have tested negative for COVID-19.

This is after the compulsory 12 days of tests and 14-day quarantine period.

The forces and crew can now disembark the ship under the agreed COVID -19 safe measures to support TC Yasa response efforts.

They will focus on essential cyclone recovery tasks and continue to maintain strict COVID-safe protocols.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services says all 618 swabs taken from HMAS Adelaide personnel on Tuesday were flown to Australian laboratories for testing and came back negative.

This is in addition to the pre-departure tests that all came back negative before the ship set sail for Fiji on 24th December.

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong, says he was confident that these Australians would pose no COVID-19 health risk for Fiji.

The 618 personnel will spend the remainder of their time focusing on readying schools and students in areas affected by TC Yasa.

This will include providing affected schools with water tanks or generators and repairing or rebuilding some schools.