Chief Medical Officer says Feds have ‘no plans’ for alternative quarantine facilities

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says the Federal Government currently has ‘no plans’ to look at alternative facilities to hotel quarantine.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly during a media conference on COVID-19. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not ruled out supporting a COVID-19 quarantine hub for returned travellers at Wellcamp Airport, though the future of the proposal looks increasingly bleak.

In a Senate Select Committee hearing into the federal government’s response to the pandemic, Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said the government currently had “no plans” to look at alternative facilities to hotel quarantine.

“Hotel quarantine was one of the key decisions made early in the pandemic to protect Australians and it’s been successful,” he said.

Off the back of those comments, Groom MP Garth Hamilton said the idea of a quarantine hub at Wellcamp was over.

“For three months the people of Groom have been speaking up against this proposal,” he said.

“Now the nation’s top medical advisers have said there’s no case for it.

“As far as I’m concerned, this is the end of the quarantine centre.

“Whether the Premier likes it or not, it’s over.”

The concept of a Wellcamp quarantine hub was first made public in late January by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, with a proposal from the Wagner family forwarded to the Federal Government shortly afterwards.

While the Wagners’ proposal is costed from a business perspective, the Federal Government says it is still waiting on the State Government to provide costings for the administrative side of things, nor have they explained how they can provide a health workforce for the facility.

The Prime Minister said hotel quarantine had been 99.99% successful.

He also said alternative quarantine arrangements would need to be near to major hospitals, appropriate workforces – both health and others – and close to major airports.

Those comments prompted Mr Hamilton on Tuesday to declare he was “glad to see the PM has put this to bed”.

The Premier’s Office said it was yet to receive any confirmation from the PM.

A spokesman for the Premier said the Premiers of Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria and the AMA have backed calls for regional quarantine facilities built adjacent to airports that are safe for returning travellers and safe for workers.

“If we’d had an answer to our simple question – whether the Prime Minister would allow flights or not – it could be built by now,” he said.

“The Queensland Government stands willing to work with the Federal Government to make regional quarantine a reality.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. Until our entire population is vaccinated, there is a real and present danger that COVID could get into our community.

“Let’s have an open and transparent discussion.

“Let’s discuss the options.”

Originally published as Chief Medical Officer says Feds have ‘no plans’ for alternative quarantine facilities