SA Health rejects businessman Sam Shahin’s offer of The Bend as dedicated COVID-19 site

One of SA’s richest men, Sam Shahin, has offered help to move COVID-19 quarantine out of the city – but SA Health says it won’t work.

Leading South Australian businessman Sam Shahin has joined forces with some of the country’s richest men in offering to help move COVID-19 quarantine facilities out of capital cities.

Lindsay Fox and John Wagner – two of Australia’s most prominent billionaires – want to house up to 2000 Australians returning from overseas at separate camps ­outside state capitals in Victoria and Queensland to help fix the row over hotel quarantine ­arrangements.

Mr Shahin, the head of Peregrine Corporation, which owns the On the Run network of service stations, this morning told The Advertiser that he was willing to offer his Tailem Bend facility for use as a dedicated COVID-19 site.

Amid mounting national debate about medi-hotels, senior SA Health officials last year inspected – and ruled out – the multimillion Bend Motorsport Park, which Mr Shahin owns.

However, Health Minister Stephen Wade on Tuesday thanked Mr Shahin, but said his plan wouldn’t work.

Mr Shahin said times had changed and a purpose-built “off-site” quarantine facility outside of Adelaide in SA “makes sense” – and made sense months ago.

Willing and able to join Wagner & Fox to house overseas arrivals in a purpose built off-site quarantine facility in SA. Makes sense. Made sense months ago. Tailem Bend hosted 10000 pax at S/Jamboree 2 years ago.We can do it, again.Can have infrastructure & airstrip ready in weeks

— Sam Shahin (@samshahin_) February 15, 2021

“It is the responsibility and obligation of every citizen to provide options and solutions to policy and decision makers,” he told The Advertiser.

“Major outbreaks have been largely linked to overseas returning travellers. The ‘tension’ relates to our obligation as a country to look after and to repatriate our own citizens.

“It seems logical to me to reconcile both issues, and safely with an end-to-end solution.

“COVID is not a 2020 issue; neither is it likely to be a 2021 issue; it is likely to be an issue till at least 2023 and as such warrants careful long term planning. SA can lead the way again.”

SA businessman Sam Shahin wants to help move medi-hotel facilities out of the city.

He said the Bend had hosted more than 10,000 people at a Scouts Jamboree two years ago and had the infrastructure and an airstrip, which could be ready to use in weeks.

Mr Wade ruled out using the Bend site for a medi-hotel.

He said it was not within suitable distance to the nearest hospital with an intensive care unit, such as the Royal Adelaide or Flinders Medical Centre, and too far from an airport.

“There are a number of issues that mean SA Health does not consider the Bend would be an appropriate site for a medi-hotel,” he said.

Tailem Bend is “not the level of hospital that you need”.

“If someone develops COVID, they can very rapidly develop to the level where you need an ICU and ventilation, Tailem Bend doesn’t have an ICU.

“SA Health’s assessment is it’s too far from the hospital and too far to maintain an adequate workforce.”

SA Health Minister Stephen Wade has ruled out using the Bend as a COVID-19 facility. Picture: David Mariuz

SA Health officials ruled out the Bend due to its location, 9km southeast of Tailem Bend, for not having suitable facilities and logistic problems for highly-trained staff.

It is also understood that officials were still keen to have racing occur at the site, which now hosts the state’s only Supercars event.

This would have raised logistic problems in standing down health staff and moving potential patients.

Instead, The Advertiser on Tuesday revealed that taxpayers spent more than $200,000 to modify Australia’s first quarantine facility for infectious coronavirus patients that opened this week at a CBD medi-hotel.

Tom’s Court Hotel, on King William Street, remains empty after SA Health reported a fifth day of no COVID-19 cases.

SA Health upgraded ventilation, installed CCTV and placed laser sensors on doors.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens also flagged logistic problems but said medi-hotel sites were approved by SA Health.

Lindsay Fox has offered Avalon Airport as a medi-hotel facility. Picture: Michael Klein

Victoria Premier Dan Andrews revealed on Tuesday that his government was “actively pursuing and examining the construction” of a purpose-built quarantine centre.

“This will be based in large part on the Howard Springs model... A delegation of senior officials will go to the Northern Territory as soon as practicable to see first hand how that facility is set up,” he said.

“We’ve got two obvious candidates – Avalon Airport, where there’s space and an international terminal, and of course Melbourne Airport as well.

“I’m grateful to them for their partnership ... We are going to get on and build a facility.”

On Monday, chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier told a public lecture that if SA had a facility such as Howard Springs, south of Darwin, then it would be used.

She said a model based on the NT’s Howard Springs facility with open spaces, separate units and access to fresh air wasn’t available in SA.

“An ideal quarantine facility would have as much open air as possible, and if you look at any images of Howard Springs that is what they have – separate units,” she told the Adelaide University public health lecture.

“Now we don’t have anything like Howard Springs in South Australia, if we did we would obviously use it. But we don’t have anything like that. We have looked at so many facilities.”

Avalon Airport, which is owned by Mr Fox’s Linfox, is in talks with the Commonwealth and the ­Victorian Government to accommodate up to 1000 international arrivals in a low-risk rural setting, The Australian reported.

It would be located near Geelong, under a proposal that could cut the risk of further quarantine outbreaks in Melbourne.

In a separate plan, Queensland businessman John Wagner said he would get behind a quarantine site next to Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport, which would charge the same fees as city hotels and could take up to 1000 returnees.