Bookings open for Mercure Alice Springs Resort, currently operating as the Todd quarantine facility

Holiday makers can book a room at a resort operating as a major Territory quarantine centre, and the government says it has received no indication that the facility is changing roles.

BOOKINGS are available from January 1, 2022 to stay at the Mercure Alice Springs Resort – which currently operates as the Todd quarantine facility – but the government has received no indication from the owners that its contract has been canned.

A spokesman for Territory Families, Housing and Communities, which is overseeing contractual negotiations with the resort owners, said their contract was due to expire before the end of the year.

Alice Springs Resort Enterprises is a private company which owns the Mercure Alice Springs Resort.

“The Northern Territory government currently has a contract until November 30, 2021 in place with Alice Springs Resort Enterprises to operate the Todd Facility, and there is a continued need for quarantine facilities in Central Australia at this time,” the spokesman said.

“We are currently exploring options for the provision of these quarantine facilities beyond November 30, 2021.

“There has been no indication from Alice Springs Resort Enterprises that they would not commit to a further extension of the Todd Facility contract for quarantine purposes if this is deemed necessary.”

At the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, NT Health took over the facility formerly known as the Mercure Alice Springs Resort. Picture: Lee Robinson

A spokesman for Accor, of which Mercure is a subsidiary, declined to comment, saying only to “please contact the local government authority”.

However, a graphic appearing on booking.com on Mercure’s property listing advertises that the Alice Springs resort will be reopening in 2022, and it’s possible to reserve a room for any time after the new year.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles on Monday reassured Centralian residents that the government had the necessary resources to deal with the unpredictable Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’ve seen this pandemic take twists and turns and when we first saw it arrive in Australia I think many of us thought that it would sweep through,” she said.

“We’ve kept it out of the Territory, but we’re very conscious going forward that we need to have resources to support the community.

”We’ll work with the owners of that facility.”

She said the contract had been extended on previous occasions.

Ms Fyles said NT Health had contingency plans in the event that Covid-19 cases arrive in the Territory.

“There’s many contingency plans, there’s lots of scenario testing that has been done since early last year when the pandemic was first declared internationally,” she said.

“We’ll continue to be agile in our response.”

While there is no suggestion the government is looking to abandon a Central Australian facility, Chief Minister Michael Gunner last month said travellers returning from Covid-19 hotspots may be able to quarantine at home after the Territory hits an 80 per cent double vaccination rate.

Originally published as Bookings open for Mercure Alice Springs Resort, currently operating as the Todd quarantine facility