Victoria examining alternative quarantine options, with Avalon Airport flagged as possible location
4 years, 1 month ago

Victoria examining alternative quarantine options, with Avalon Airport flagged as possible location

ABC  

The Victorian government is looking at alternatives to the current hotel quarantine model, including setting up purpose-built facilities on land outside of the CBD. Key points: Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says a purpose-built quarantine facility with fresh air would be great for welfare issues Senior government officials will travel to the NT to see how the Howard Springs facility operates Avalon Airport's CEO is in talks about a new purpose-built quarantine facility on airport land The hotel-based quarantine system has come under scrutiny in the past week after a fresh outbreak that stemmed from the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport sparked a five-day snap lockdown. Premier Daniel Andrews said senior government officials were "actively" examining the construction of a purpose-built quarantine centre that could partially replace inner-city hotels. On Monday, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said one of the benefits of a Howard Springs-style model would be open-air space between rooms, "which is great for welfare issues". "I think it would be a good system and one that might complement the hotel quarantine system," Mr Giddings said.

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History of this topic

Defence flags interest in using Darwin's Howard Springs quarantine facility to house local, international military personnel
2 years, 3 months ago

Defence flags interest in using Darwin's Howard Springs quarantine facility to house local, international military personnel

ABC  

The Top End quarantine facility that played a major national role at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic could be used to accommodate thousands of military personnel in Darwin each year. Key points: Up to 6,500 Australian and international defence personnel converge on the Top End during the dry season Defence is negotiating with the Northern Territory government about leasing …

Victoria's purpose-built COVID quarantine hub to be shuttered by government following drop in demand
2 years, 5 months ago

Victoria's purpose-built COVID quarantine hub to be shuttered by government following drop in demand

ABC  

A half-billion dollar COVID-19 quarantine facility in Melbourne's north will be closed after just eight months in operation following a drop in demand. Key points: A $580m quarantine facility in Melbourne's north will be closed next week The site opened in February and has housed 2,168 residents during its life span The government defended its construction, saying it could be …

How will Queensland's own COVID-19 quarantine facility at Wellcamp near Toowoomba work?
3 years, 7 months ago

How will Queensland's own COVID-19 quarantine facility at Wellcamp near Toowoomba work?

ABC  

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland is building its own 1,000-bed quarantine facility next to Wellcamp Airport, just outside Toowoomba. So now Queensland is going it alone on the project despite the federal government approving an army barracks at Pinkenba, near Brisbane Airport, for a joint-run 1,000 bed quarantine facility. Deputy Premier Steve Miles told ABC Radio Brisbane the Queensland government …

Is Australia’s hotel quarantine system broken?
3 years, 8 months ago

Is Australia’s hotel quarantine system broken?

Al Jazeera  

The government says system is ‘99.99-percent effective’ but as Delta triggers new lockdowns there are calls for change. Prime Minister Scott Morrison insists that the hotel quarantine programme is “99.99-percent effective.” But there have been at least 21 separate leaks from various hotels, which have led to the repeated closure of schools and businesses and significant disruption to daily life …

Mark McGowan backs federal proposal for COVID quarantine hub at Perth or Jandakot airport
3 years, 9 months ago

Mark McGowan backs federal proposal for COVID quarantine hub at Perth or Jandakot airport

ABC  

Either Perth Airport or Jandakot Airport, in the city's southern suburbs, could be chosen as a location for a 1,000-bed purpose-built quarantine facility after the federal government ticked off on the sites. Key points: The PM has told WA he has been advised land at the airports would be suitable WA Premier Mark McGowan has backed the proposal Mr McGowan …

Scott Morrison proposes Brisbane COVID-19 quarantine hub, rejects Wellcamp Airport proposal
3 years, 9 months ago

Scott Morrison proposes Brisbane COVID-19 quarantine hub, rejects Wellcamp Airport proposal

ABC  

The Prime Minister has proposed an army barracks in Brisbane as a COVID-19 quarantine hub, officially killing off the stalled Wellcamp plan near Toowoomba. Key points: Queensland had been pushing to establish a quarantine hub near the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport But Scott Morrison has instead suggested a site owned by the Department of Defence at Pinkenba The Damascus Barracks is …

Federal Budget 2021 offers no new plan for COVID-19 hotel quarantine alternatives
3 years, 10 months ago

Federal Budget 2021 offers no new plan for COVID-19 hotel quarantine alternatives

ABC  

The federal government is under fire after last night's budget provided no new funds for open-air quarantine facilities beyond an already announced expansion at Howard Springs. Key points: The budget did contain $500 million to expand capacity at the Howard Springs quarantine facility But there were no funds for a proposed cabin-style quarantine facility in Melbourne's north Prime Minister Scott …

Commonwealth begins handover of Howard Springs quarantine facility to NT government
3 years, 10 months ago

Commonwealth begins handover of Howard Springs quarantine facility to NT government

ABC  

Howard Springs, Australia's prize COVID quarantine facility, yesterday began a large shift in how it operates. A makeshift quarantine centre at the beginning of the pandemic, Howard Springs developed into what health experts have dubbed a "gold standard" purpose-built infection control facility, safely quarantining thousands of arrivals, including domestic travellers, overseas fruit pickers, international students and repatriated Australians. A key …

Victoria identifies site for purpose-built quarantine facility, wants Commonwealth to fund construction
3 years, 11 months ago

Victoria identifies site for purpose-built quarantine facility, wants Commonwealth to fund construction

ABC  

The Victorian government has confirmed plans for a purpose-built quarantine hub in Melbourne's north and has called on the Commonwealth to pay for its construction. Key points: A proposal for the 500-bed hub includes the ability to scale up and house 3,000 returned Australians A proposal for the 500-bed hub includes the ability to scale up and house 3,000 returned …

Perth COVID lockdown update: Mark McGowan calls on federal government to offer up quarantine facilities
3 years, 11 months ago

Perth COVID lockdown update: Mark McGowan calls on federal government to offer up quarantine facilities

ABC  

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has again called on the federal government to help establish alternative quarantine sites to city hotels. Key points: Mark McGowan says CBD hotels are "not fit-for-purpose quarantine facilities" A government spokesperson said defence bases and immigration centres are "unsuitable" for quarantining The Premier again urged visitors to the listed contact sites to get tested for …

Victoria is COVID-free for the first time this year. Here's what happens next
4 years ago

Victoria is COVID-free for the first time this year. Here's what happens next

ABC  

Victoria is COVID-free for the first time this year, after the Health Department declared the final active case in the state had recovered. The health department said on Monday night that "almost all" current hotel quarantine workers had already had the first jab. Professor Baxter said if all workers had at least had their first vaccination injection, the outbreak risk …

Australians stranded overseas 'exhausted' as Victoria's coronavirus hotel quarantine remains closed
4 years ago

Australians stranded overseas 'exhausted' as Victoria's coronavirus hotel quarantine remains closed

ABC  

For the third time in the past year, Georgina Trigg and her family have been packing up their belongings and preparing to leave Dubai. Key points: Ms Trigg's family was told the cancellation was due to Victoria's pause on international arrivals A Melbourne woman who returned via Sydney says Victoria has a reputation for being unreliable with hotel quarantine The …

Scott Morrison announces Howard Springs coronavirus quarantine facility will increase capacity
4 years ago

Scott Morrison announces Howard Springs coronavirus quarantine facility will increase capacity

ABC  

The Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine facility will soon be responsible for quarantining 15 per cent of all Australians returning on international repatriation flights. Key points: The Howard Springs quarantine facility began taking in repatriated Australians last October The Howard Springs quarantine facility began taking in repatriated Australians last October The facility also quarantines domestic travellers in a separate section …

Victoria's snap lockdown is over but it comes at a political cost for Daniel Andrews
4 years, 1 month ago

Victoria's snap lockdown is over but it comes at a political cost for Daniel Andrews

ABC  

Victoria has survived its third lockdown. For some people, particularly small business owners, the "circuit-breaker" lockdown has been a doom and gloom trigger after the damage inflicted during last year's much longer lockdown. The snap lockdown over relatively few cases can present a new challenge if the Premier has to take future tough action, with Andrews's social and political capital …

Victoria weighs up quarantine village similar to NT's Howard Springs facility
4 years, 1 month ago

Victoria weighs up quarantine village similar to NT's Howard Springs facility

ABC  

Flexibility and adaptability will be the key for the proposed Victorian quarantine village, the architect of the Northern Territory's model says. Premier Daniel Andrews is considering establishing a version of the Howard Springs quarantine facility. James Dorrat, is the technical director at Aecome, which designed the Manigurr-ma gas plant workers' village in Howard Springs outside Darwin in 2012. Howard Springs' …

Victorian hotel quarantine program not following healthcare infection control standards
4 years, 1 month ago

Victorian hotel quarantine program not following healthcare infection control standards

ABC  

Victoria's beleaguered hotel quarantine program was not following the same infection control standards drawn up by a PPE taskforce, which were being applied to the rest of the state's health system. Key points: The PPE taskforce said in December that anyone in quarantine should be considered "high risk" and treated as if they have coronavirus The PPE required for such …

Coronavirus quarantine hotel auditor needed in Australia, epidemiologist Tony Blakely says
4 years, 1 month ago

Coronavirus quarantine hotel auditor needed in Australia, epidemiologist Tony Blakely says

ABC  

A national effort to assess the existing quarantine effort in different states and set a standard for quarantine sites has the support of two of Australia's leading public health experts. Key points: Epidemiologist Tony Blakely proposes a quarantine auditor, which would assess and accredit quarantine sites A member of the Federal Government's Infection Control Expert Group says a national standard …

Experts claim Australia's hotel quarantine system can't contain mutant strains
4 years, 1 month ago

Experts claim Australia's hotel quarantine system can't contain mutant strains

Daily Mail  

Public health experts believe more coronavirus infections will escape Australia's hotel quarantine program and are pushing for changes to the system. A leak from hotel quarantine sparked a lockdown in Perth last week with residents required to wear masks Scott Morrison wants to expand the Howard Springs quarantine facility in the Northern Territory with 40,000 Australians trying to come home …

Australian hotel quarantine system works ‘because they have a no-nonsense approach’, British traveller says
4 years, 1 month ago

Australian hotel quarantine system works ‘because they have a no-nonsense approach’, British traveller says

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A week ahead of hotel quarantine being introduced for arrivals to the UK from 33 countries, …

As UK COVID variant spreads, Australia urgently needs more purpose-built quarantine stations, experts say
4 years, 2 months ago

As UK COVID variant spreads, Australia urgently needs more purpose-built quarantine stations, experts say

ABC  

With yet another cluster of people in hotel quarantine this week testing positive for COVID-19 — this time triggering a mass evacuation of Brisbane's Hotel Grand Chancellor — epidemiologists are calling on the Government to urgently establish more purpose-built quarantine stations like the Northern Territory's Howard Springs, pointing to features like its well-spaced rooms, fresh air and staffing arrangements as …

Victoria concerned about UK mutant coronavirus strain as experts say it's a 'serious threat'
4 years, 2 months ago

Victoria concerned about UK mutant coronavirus strain as experts say it's a 'serious threat'

ABC  

A leading epidemiologist is calling for Australian border workers to be "immediately and urgently" vaccinated against COVID-19, to help prevent the highly infectious strain from the UK spreading into the community. Key points: Four cases of the UK strain have been detected in hotel quarantine in Victoria Experts say a strong hotel quarantine system is important for preventing its spread …

Health Minister Natasha Fyles unsure how Alice Springs hotel quarantine agreements were made
4 years, 4 months ago

Health Minister Natasha Fyles unsure how Alice Springs hotel quarantine agreements were made

ABC  

The Northern Territory Health Minister has admitted she doesn't know the "exact details" of hotel quarantine agreements that she partly blamed for a public health saga that unfolded in Alice Springs earlier this week. Health Minister Natasha Fyles has maintained that some local hotels are partly responsible for the scramble to find appropriate quarantine venues that followed. Some arrivals made …

Coronavirus quarantine capacity for arrivals in Australia to be expanded with new Darwin processing centre
4 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus quarantine capacity for arrivals in Australia to be expanded with new Darwin processing centre

ABC  

Thousands more Australians stranded overseas will be able to get home sooner under an expansion of quarantine processing in Darwin. Key points: The Howard Springs facility could begin taking people as early as this month The Howard Springs facility could begin taking people as early as this month Commercial and charter flights will fly direct to the RAAF Base in …

Melbourne coronavirus hotel quarantine workers stood down amid COVID-19 infection control concerns
4 years, 6 months ago

Melbourne coronavirus hotel quarantine workers stood down amid COVID-19 infection control concerns

ABC  

Victorian health authorities say they are investigating whether nine hotel quarantine workers contracted coronavirus at work, after earlier insisting it was likely they caught it in the community. Key points: The justice department said on Tuesday the workers likely contracted the virus in the community, not at work The justice department said on Tuesday the workers likely contracted the virus …

Federal Government calls on states to boost coronavirus quarantine capacity by 50 per cent
4 years, 6 months ago

Federal Government calls on states to boost coronavirus quarantine capacity by 50 per cent

ABC  

The Federal Government is pushing states and territories to boost their combined hotel quarantine capacity by 50 per cent, to allow more Australians stuck overseas to return home. Key points: The Deputy Prime Minister is calling on states and territories to increase their hotel quarantine capacity The Deputy Prime Minister is calling on states and territories to increase their hotel …

What we know about coronavirus in Melbourne, hotel quarantine and the Australian Defence Force
4 years, 7 months ago

What we know about coronavirus in Melbourne, hotel quarantine and the Australian Defence Force

ABC  

The involvement, or lack thereof, of Australian Defence Force personnel in Victoria's Hotel Quarantine program has dominated the politics this week. Defence Minister Linda Reynolds came out contradicting Mr Andrews, saying ADF help was offered multiple times, only to herself be contradicted by Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, who said it wasn't offered at a meeting in late March …

Victoria's hotel quarantine program could be the biggest scandal of Daniel Andrews' career
4 years, 8 months ago

Victoria's hotel quarantine program could be the biggest scandal of Daniel Andrews' career

ABC  

Premier Daniel Andrews has likened Victoria's second wave of the pandemic to a "public health bushfire", a disaster Australians understand all too well. Genomic sequencing of this recent surge points to the virus spreading from security guards at hotel quarantine taking the virus back to their families, some of them large multi-generational households. Government deflecting quarantine questions with inquiry Among …

Breaches of hotel quarantine 'let Victorians down', Minister says as inquiry launched
4 years, 9 months ago

Breaches of hotel quarantine 'let Victorians down', Minister says as inquiry launched

ABC  

As the State Government faces increased scrutiny over its handling of hotel quarantine, Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville has said Victorians were let down because the risk posed by returned travellers was not taken seriously enough. Key points: A judicial inquiry will examine how coronavirus cases leaked out of quarantine at two Melbourne hotels A judicial inquiry will examine how …

Victoria's coronavirus quarantine program to get a 'reset' after breaches
4 years, 9 months ago

Victoria's coronavirus quarantine program to get a 'reset' after breaches

ABC  

As Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the state would be reimposing lockdowns on some Melbourne postcodes from Thursday, he said failures in the state-managed hotel quarantine program were a key factor in dozens of coronavirus cases. The government unit responsible for prisons will now oversee a "reset" of the hotel quarantine program and no new travellers will be hosted in …

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