Staff not just infrastructure, critical to Howard Springs quarantine success

The success of the NT’s gold-standard Howard Springs facility is “predicated” on its highly trained staff and a quarantine model based successful COVID-19 deployments, a top critical care expert has said

THE success of the Northern Territory’s gold-standard Howard Springs facility is “predicated” on its highly trained staff and a quarantine model based successful COVID-19 deployments, a top critical care expert has said.

It comes amid plans by Victoria and Queensland to construct their own dedicated coronavirus quarantine facilities, modelled on the NT’s success at the Centre for National Resilience.

MORE TOP NEW

Greater Melbourne hot spot revoked by NT as Victorian lockdown comes to an end

Urgent laws to make COVID-19 vaccine rollout easier introduced in NT

Territorians to start receiving COVID-19 vaccine by next week, Chief Minister Michael Gunner announces

AUSMAT staff conduct a Swabbing run at a PPE drill at the NCCTRCA/AUSMAT sections of the Howard Springs coronavirus quarantine Centre on Darwin's outskirts. Picture: GLENN CAMPBELL via NCA NewsWire

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said his government wanted to construct a cabin-style accommodation hub to either replace or supplement the hotel quarantine scheme, following recent leaks of COVID-19 out of hotels.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles, on Tuesday, said the NT’s facility was “more than” the physical infrastructure of the former workers camp but also the highly-trained AUSMAT staff who run the place.

HOT NEW DEAL: $1 for 28 days subscription offer

There has not been a single leak of COVID-19 from the facility and health tracking armbands have been in use for some time.

National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre executive director Professor Len Notaras said the Howard Springs facility was “unique” and the AUSMAT model had been developed based on a series of successful COVID-19 deployments, including the evacuation of Australians from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship.