Coronavirus: British tourist flies to Australian holiday island after testing positive

She had tested positive for Covid-19 while in Australia

A British tourist who tested positive for coronavirus while in Australia has reportedly defied orders to self-isolate.

Instead, she is said to have taken a flight to Hamilton Island, a privately owned island in Queensland, and carried on her holiday.

The 36-year-old individual, who has not been identified, had been in the country for less than a week when she tested positive for Covid-19 in Sydney, the Courier Mail reports.

Under current guidelines, those who are showing symptoms for the virus should self-isolate for 14 days at a minimum, and would only be hospitalised in serious cases.

Those who have been tested for the virus should also self-isolate until they receive their results.

But instead of going into self-isolation, the woman took a flight to Hamilton Island, where she was found relaxing on the beach by authorities, according to the report.

The holidaymaker reportedly told authorities that she didn't understand their instructions for self-isolation.

The woman is understood to have spent a night in isolation on the island and has since been taken to Mackay Base Hospital in Queensland.

A spokesperson for Hamilton Island said that there was no risk to staff or guests.

In a statement to The Independent, they said: "Hamilton Island can confirm that an international visitor who arrived on the island has returned a positive result to COVID-19. The individual was tested for COVID-19 in Sydney and boarded a flight to Hamilton Island. They were on the island for a few hours before being isolated and medically transferred off the island on Monday afternoon.

"Hamilton Island has been informed by Queensland Health that all contact tracking has been completed on the island and the island is deemed as low risk.

"Hamilton Island would like to stress that the safety and wellbeing of our guests and staff on the island is of utmost priority. We would like to remind anyone travelling to the island about the importance of strictly following the advice of the government and health authorities during this uncertain time."

As of 17 March, there are 375 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia according to the World Health Organisation.

The majority of these are in New South Wales (NSW), where Sydney is located.

All of the five deaths in Australia are in NSW as well.

On 17 March, Australian citizens were ordered to return home, where they will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Australia is also one of the countries that has introduced travel restrictions in a bid to slow the coronavirus pandemic.