Health Minister Greg Hunt said no country was immune and Australia was deep in preparation for the virus - known as COVID-19 - to spread throughout the community. He said ultimately, most people would know somebody affected by the virus. Loading "They will be people of all different shapes and forms," he said on Sunday. "And over time, it will be people in the media and in government," Mr Hunt said. "It will be mums and dads. It will be school kids. All of whom will be tested." NSW Health is asking anyone seated in rows 2-6 on flight QF1509 or rows 3-7 on flight VA651 from Sydney to Canberra on February 28 to self isolate. "Anyone else travelling on these flights in other rows are not considered to be close contacts and should monitor their health until 13 March and to contact their GP for assessment and testing if they develop any symptoms," it said in statement.

The Department of Defence is also tracking any contact made by the two officers travelling to a meeting at Defence Headquarters in Russell. It said all Defence personnel with cold or flu like symptoms will remove themselves from the workplace and be tested for COVID-19. The advice follows that of Victorian minister Gabrielle Williams for the broader public. Ms Williams urged unwell people to stay at home, regardless of whether they had recently returned from overseas or been in contact with someone who had tested positive to coronavirus. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video “You should not be presenting to work, and you should be doing what you can to be tested,” she said.

“This is about containing a very significant health issue and we are unapologetic about doing all we can to keep the Victorian community safe." The Victorian government's latest advice is inconsistent with the advice of federal health authorities, which up until Friday had been advising only those who had travelled overseas and felt unwell to get tested - rather than anyone who had been showing flu-like symptoms. Ms Williams said the situation was “evolving” and that the state government was in talks with the Commonwealth about the conflicting position. Mr Hunt said if people were in doubt, Australians should get themselves tested. "Even though it can be a little bit of a stress on the system, we would rather people over-test rather than under-test," he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to “be cautious and stay home” from work if they were not feeling well and to come forward to be tested for the virus. Ms Berejiklian said the state government was taking steps to prepare for the worst-case scenarios, including digital classrooms for students to learn from home. “In transport, our cleaning systems have gone into overdrive in terms of disinfecting bus stops and the actual vehicles themselves,” she said. Mr Hunt said he was distressed to see videos of shoppers fighting over toilet paper as supermarkets struggle to keep up with panic buying across the country. "There have been some things which have occurred in recent days which have not been our best selves," he said.