What are your thoughts on this little interaction from the ABC site? Seems returning expats are better off testing positive for covid......do less quarantine. Heres the link I copy/ pasted from, have to scroll down as constantly updated. [abc.net.au]

Do the dates add up?
Extremely confused as to why the lady in Melbourne was released after 10 days in quarantine, when the Victoria Health website clearly says ‘ If you are travelling to Victoria from overseas, you must go into quarantine accommodation for 14 days from the day you arrive.’ - is there an explanation for this?

-?

I understood quarantine to be 14 days, yet the Victorian who flew to Brisbane was only required to do 10? Maybe I can’t count....

-Puzzled

The 14 day number is to wait for symptoms to develop. Once a person indeed tests positive while in hotel quarantine, this triggers a different timeline.

I'm answer to "Puzzled", as I understand it...
if you DON'T have the virus you quarantine for 14 days (to make sure you don't have the virus - because it can incubate that long before symptoms develop). If you DO have the virus, you isolate until 10 days or until you no longer have symptoms (whichever is later) as this usually means you're not contagious. Most countries don't require a negative test result to leave isolation, as people continue to test positive for weeks or even months when they are no longer infectious

-Kate, Melbourne