Cairns Covid-19: James Cook University welcomes Wellcamp quarantine hub

The introduction of a new quarantine facility near Toowoomba is being hailed as a big win in getting international students back to Cairns.

THE introduction of a new quarantine facility near Toowoomba is being hailed as a big win in getting international students back to Cairns.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s plans to build the quarantine hub at Wellcamp is being seen as a critical first step in the return of overseas pupils at James Cook University.

Construction has already started on the 1000-bed facility after an agreement was struck with John Wagner and the Wagner family, which owns the nearby Wellcamp airport.

James Cook University Vice-Chancellor Sandra Harding – Photo: Cameron Laird.

MORE NEWS

Covid forces Blazing Saddles closure

Pollies trade barbs over tourism support

Thousands of tourism jobs about to die

JCU vice chancellor, Professor Sandra Harding, said they had been supportive of the proposal for some time and were grateful to their “dogged persistence.”

“The quarantine facility is fantastic news,” she said.

“Of course we understand that returning Australians, and Queenslanders returning from interstate or overseas, must come first.

“But anything that adds to the state’s quarantine capacity is going to help us bring students back when it’s safe to do so.”

Wagner Corporation will build the facility and the state government will operate once it is up and running.

The James Cook University Cairns city campus. Vice chancellor Professor Sandra Harding says the University has been adversely affected by the Covid restrictions. Picture: Brendan Radke

Professor Harding said Covid restrictions, and not being able to get interstate and international students on campus in Cairns, has had a huge financial impact on the university.

She said international study contributed almost $4.7bn to the Australian economy “in our last normal year.”

“On campus we also miss the breadth of life experience that the students share with their classes and fellow students,” she said.

“I work across Townsville and Cairns (and) we know how important international students are to the local workforce.

“Most recently in Cairns, we’ve seen that students in medicine and allied health courses can provide surge capacity in our health workforce as part of the vaccination program.”

Originally published as Cairns Covid-19: James Cook University welcomes Wellcamp quarantine hub