Government savaged over handling of coronavirus amid growing toll of infections and deaths

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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has blasted Queensland’s premier after she claimed a lack of communication from the federal government could hamper local efforts to contain the new coronavirus outbreak. 

Mr Hunt and Annastacia Palaszczuk went head to head after more than 1500 more coronavirus cases and 96 deaths were confirmed just hours after the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a global public health emergency.

Since the outbreak, the coronavirus has killed 213 in China, and spread to more than 9300 people globally, with 98 confirmed cases of infection outside the mainland.

A “frustrated” Ms Palaszczuk accused the Morrison government of withholding vital information about a Chinese tour group who had arrived in Queensland on Monday.

They had only recently come back from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak and travelled on Tiger Air flight TT566 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast.

“Only the federal government has the details on their incoming boarding card of who they are, where they are staying and their mobile phone contact numbers,” Ms Palaszczuk told Sunrise on Friday morning.

Ms Palaszczuk said she has been left in the dark about the whereabouts of those Chinese travellers.

“We need to contact those people,” she said.