SA’s last medi-hotel, Tom’s Court, returns to private use
South Australia’s Covid quarantine program has officially ended as Tom’s Court returns to private use, after sitting empty for five months.
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South Australia’s official Covid quarantine program has officially ended after the last medi-hotel returns to the private use.
Figures show SA Health supervised 41,274 expatriates, or people linked with clusters in nine medi-hotels over 765 days during the pandemic.
After sitting empty for more than five months, the Tom’s Court medi-hotel – the main quarantine facility used for sick patients – will return for private guests in November.
This brings to an end the state’s medi-hotel program, which was first launched at the height of the Covid crisis.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, South Australia played a key role in facilitating the repatriation of Australian citizens and permanent residents from overseas,” an SA Health spokeswoman said.
“This operation provided a safe and convenient place for people to quarantine and was immensely beneficial to providing increased protection to the community.
“Tom’s Court is no longer being (used) for quarantine and isolation accommodation.
“Next month SA Health will reach contractual close with Tom’s Court.”
SA Health denied claims from government sources that a clause included helping with the Tom’s Court rebranding.
The hotel’s owners were unavailable.
The state government ruled out using the hotel for other emergency-type accommodation.
SA’s combined total taxpayer cost towards medi-hotel operations over two financial years was more than $118m, which also included bills from other states.
The bill will likely be double that but the 2021-22 budget has not been publicly released.
SA Health said its Tom’s Court contract will stay secret because of commercial in confidence.
Costs included airport travel, room accommodation, baggage handlers, clinical support, CCTV monitoring, food, housekeeping, security and waste removal.
The first medi-hotel, at the Pullman, Hindmarsh Square, opened on April 20, 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
The Tom’s Court facility for infectious patients launched in February 2021 and last housed a sick patient on May 25 this year.
The medi-hotel program was seen as controversial after a number of virus leaks.
SA’s worst outbreak, the Parafield cluster was sparked by a leak from the city’s Peppers medi-hotel.
The government has said much of the more-than $12m in outstanding debt racked up under the hotel quarantine program may never be recovered.
Latest figures show a total $40.99m in bills from people who stayed in medi-hotels had been paid but $12.72m was still owed.
State parliament has heard that at least $300,000 in debts has been written off.
Health Minister Chris Picton has said “significant unpaid debts” have been incurred.
The “emergency phase” of the Covid pandemic officially ended in October when virtually all legal restrictions were removed, including mandatory isolation if people test positive and wearing masks in public if positive.
Modelling predicts a new wave within weeks.
A new strain could be rearing its ugly head amid rising case numbers begin to rise ahead of the festive season.
The latest weekly SA Health data shows an increase in new cases of up to 10 per cent. There are 44 hospitalisations, including five patients in intensive care.
State president of the Australian Medical Association Michelle Atchison said long Covid was starting to have a “significant effect” on SA’s health system.
She says the more Covid infections a person has, the more likely the person will develop long Covid.
“The system is scrambling to develop long Covid clinics … but we don’t what needs to be involved,” she said.
However, Ms Atchison believes there needs to be a multidisciplinary approach, including a statewide response and clear pathways to public access.
“We’re still going to be seeing the effects of Covid long after it has burnt out,” she said.
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