Millions spent to keep last isolation hub on the books

While the major provider of Covid isolation accommodation has returned to trading as a regular hotel, millions is potentially being spent by the state to reserve a single remaining facility in Cairns.

WHILE the major provider of Covid isolation accommodation has returned to trading as a regular hotel, millions is potentially being spent by the state government to reserve the single remaining Cairns facility.

The Pacific Hotel was the mainstay quarantine facility throughout the first two years of the pandemic, but state contracts have now ended.

The Pacific Hotel’s state government contract to provide isolation accommodation has ended. Picture: Stewart McLean

The Accor-operated Ibis Styles Cairns on Florence St opened its doors to repatriating and self-isolating guests in January but is expected to return to usual operation this month after a deep clean.

The Cairns property retained as an isolation hotel – understood to be the Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside – forms part of a suite of regional facilities and the Novotel Brisbane Airport that cost the Queensland taxpayer $26.9m between February 5 and March 31 this year.

From the floor of the parliament last week, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the spend on isolation hotel contracts had reduced since the opening of Toowoomba’s Wellcamp quarantine facility in February.

The Ibis Styles hotel on Florence Street was approved by Queensland Health to operate as an isolation hotel in January. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Since opening Wellcamp and beginning the hotel decommissioning, we have saved $8.5m per month,” he said.

“By the time the additional hotels such as those in regional Queensland cease in the coming months, there will be a further saving of $5.7m per month.”

Owner of the Queens Court Hotel on Sheridan St Zac Sarnecki said his property had been through Queensland Health compliance obligations ahead of housing isolation guests.

“We were never going to be a generic facility, we were set aside by the hospital as an overflow but it never happened,” he said.

Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside on Lake Street is Cairns only remaining Covid isolation facility. . Picture: Brendan Radke

“We went through all the protocols, but the hospital never got overrun so we never got any quarantine people.”

In a different kind of arrangement to bigger hotels, Queens Court would not have received a monthly fee from the state government to reserve the property for self-isolating guests.

Mr Sarnecki struck a deal whereby the hotel would be paid $120 per room per night.

It’s expected the Holiday Inn Cairns Harbourside on the Cairns Esplanade will be scaled back in the coming months as an isolation facility.

“When a decision is made not to keep a hotel operational, it does not mean that those contractual obligations cease immediately,” the Deputy Premier said.

Originally published as Millions spent to keep last isolation hub on the books