REVEALED: Videographer’s photos chronicle everyday life inside Howard Springs COVID-19 quarantine facility
PHOTOS: See what it’s like to quarantine at the Howard Springs COVID-19 facility.
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A VIDEOGRAPHER who has been documenting his time inside the Howard Springs COIVD-19 quarantine facility in photos says his stay there has been “really pleasant” and he is grateful to NT Health for how well staff have looked after travellers.
Other Side Productions owner, founder and videographer Ben Sale, who arrived in Darwin from Melbourne 14 days ago, has been posting photos and videos to social media that open a window on everyday life inside the former Inpex workers camp.
“It’s my profession, and I thought I should really document the experience in here,” Mr Sale said.
“It is a really unique experience – it’s something that six months ago none of us would ever have expected to be doing.
“I travel a lot for work so the notion of having to be locked down for two weeks is really foreign.”
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There have been mixed reviews of the Howard Springs facility from interstate travellers in recent months, with some criticising the meals, accommodation and hygiene and others complimenting the site and its management.
But Mr Sale falls firmly into the latter camp, saying his stay had been largely positive.
“I’ve got some friends who are currently quarantining in Brisbane, and comparing our experiences is night and day,” he said.
“Here in the NT, we’ve got a nice little veranda we can sit outside on, and we are allowed to have 20 minute blocks of exercise twice a day on the paths around the facility.
“You compare that with hotel quarantine in other states where people are in a room where they can’t even open a window and they have to call a number to get police to escort them to go up to the roof for some fresh air – there’s a massive difference.
“Given the choice, I would come to the NT every time.
“(Quarantine here) is not something I want to repeat, but all things considered it’s been a really pleasant experience.”
Mr Sale is due to leave Howard Springs today.
He will enjoy a week-long holiday in Darwin before flying to Cairns for a videography job.
He thanked NT Health staff for “(doing) everything they can to make our stay here as comfortable as it reasonably can be”.
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