CMO apologises over medics ‘illegal party’ claim

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer has apologised to health workers in Tasmania for speculating they attended an illegal dinner party and contributed to a coronavirus outbreak.
Professor Brendan Murphy made the claim about staff in the state’s northwest while giving evidence to a New Zealand parliamentary committee earlier in April.
He quickly backed away from the comments after Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein pointed out contract tracing had found no evidence of a such a gathering.
A subsequent state police investigation into the allegation found no evidence of a party.