A regional COVID-19 quarantine facility will be built west of Brisbane, despite being repeatedly rejected by the federal government.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today that Cabinet had approved the project, to be built on vacant land at near Wellcamp airport, just outside Toowoomba.
The announcement came as the state recorded two new cases of COVID-19 in hotel quarantine.
Construction is underway, with 500 beds available by the end of the year and a total capacity of 1,000 by March.
Construction firm Wagners first submitted the plan to use its Wellcamp airport, just west of Toowoomba, as the landing point for some of the Australians stranded overseas in January.
The financial arrangement between the state government and the Wagner family will be commercial-in-confidence, but the state government has signed a one-year lease, with the option of extending to two or three years.
"Our hotels were not built for the Delta strain of this virus," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"The best way to keep you safe, and keep Delta out of Queensland, is to build a regional quarantine facility.
"This is going to be a great boost for our defence against the Delta virus in this country, and in fact I believe we need regional facilities, right across the country."
ABC News: David Chen
)Earthworks have already started at the Wellcamp Business Park, with tractors working to prepare the site for construction this morning.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles hoped the facility would prevent future lockdowns sparked by the virus leaking out of hotel quarantine.
"When you consider that the last lockdown alone costs more than a billion dollars in economic impact, and compensation, you can see just what fantastic value it will be," he said.
"If we can avoid just one lockdown, let alone more, with this new facility."
'Much safer than non-purpose-built hotel quarantine'
The federal government has made it clear that it was not in favour of a quarantine facility at Wellcamp.
In June Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the site did not meet the criteria for a Commonwealth-funded quarantine compound because it was not within easy access of a passenger airport terminal or tertiary hospital.
A feasibility study by consultancy group AECOM found the Pinkenba facility could be up and running for the first 500 travellers by March 31, although some challenges posed a "significant risk" to this timeframe – including modifying accommodation to mitigate aircraft noise.
Ms Palaszczuk has previously said the federal government-funded Damascus facility as well as one at Wellcamp could eliminate the need for quarantine hotels.
Mr Miles said once the Wellcamp facility was operational, travellers would be taken by bus to the site from Brisbane airport, if the Commonwealth government decided not to allow flights to land at Wellcamp airport.
"We currently bus arriving travellers from Brisbane to hotel quarantine accommodation on the Gold and Sunshine Coast, and so that would remain an option to get people here safely," he said.
The design is being modelled on the Howard Springs quarantine facility in the Northern Territory.
ABC News: Cassie Hough
)"It will be purpose-built based on the learnings from that facility," he said.
"Therefore, the infection control can keep our staff, the other people in the facility as well as the local community safe.
"In fact, much, much safer than non-purpose-built hotel quarantine."
Mr Miles said the facility would have a mix of single, double and family-sized rooms in the design of cabins and all rooms will have balconies.
"Importantly no hallways adjoining rooms, which we have seen as vectors in hotel quarantine for the virus," Mr Miles said.
Travellers who test positive for the virus and require hospitalisation will be transported to one of five hospitals in Queensland with COVID wards.
David Chen
)"By funding this facility ourselves and building this facility ourselves, we can ensure that it replaces current hotel quarantine usage."
Millionaire businessman John Wagner said the facility would create local jobs.
"Just by the fact that we have to produce 3,000 meals a day, [the region] will really benefit from this," he said.
"It will help get Queensland out of COVID and on the road to economic recovery, which we desperately need.
"As the landlord of this facility to the Queensland government, we are working through the final design criteria to make sure that we have the best fit-for-purpose regional accommodation facility for return travellers that there is in the country or in fact the world."
Sewage testing detects virus on Palm Island
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said precautionary testing was being done on Palm Island in north Queensland after sewage test results showed fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19.
"That could be just someone who is shedding, who has had the virus previously, but we're not aware of anyone on the island who is a former positive case," Ms D'Ath said.
"What we have set up, starting this morning, is extra capacity to ask every person on Palm Island, who has any symptoms whatsoever, to come forward and get tested, so we can rule out that there are any positive cases there."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA4LTI2L2NvdmQtcWxkLXdlbGxjYW1wLXRvb3dvb21iYS1yZWdpb25hbC1xdWFyYW50aW5lLWZhY2lsaXR5LzEwMDQwMzY5MtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDA0MDM2OTI?oc=5
2021-08-26 00:24:00Z
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