Coronavirus: fears over Darwin work camp quarantine

A second planeload of Australians from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan will be quarantined at a camp outside Darwin.

Australian universities are working on plans for possible self-quarantine of students from China once they are allowed to enter the country. Picture: News Regional Media

A second planeload of Australians from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan will be quarantined at a disused workers camp outside Darwin, after the government ruled facilities on Christmas Island could not accept more evacuees.

The same Qantas Boeing 747-400 that was used for the first evacuation took off for Hong Kong on Friday and was expected in Wuhan early on Saturday.

Authorities in the Top End capital were preparing to receive up to 250 evacuees over the weekend. They will spend the 14-day quarantine period at the 3500-bed Maningurr-ma workers camp near Darwin.

A total of 273 Australian citizens and permanent residents are in quarantine at the Christmas Island­ detention centre, but it has been deemed inappropriate to house more evacuees due to difficulties in maintaining segregation.

Scott Morrison said he had spoken­ with Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner and that preparations to use the Darwin site were well under way.

“We are working through the consultation phase with the local community and others about the implementation of those arrangements,” the Prime Minister said.

“My advice is that it is progressing extremely well, and we’ll be able to continue to go down our path for the planning of the second assisted-departure flight.”

Mr Morrison also advised Australians and their families still in China to take advantage of commercial flights leaving the country.

“The government cannot guarantee that similar styles of assisted departure will be available in the future,” he said.

The camp was built by Japan­ese energy giant Inpex in 2012 to house workers on the $55bn Ichthys liquefied natural gas project. It is in a rural area but close to several businesses and a school.

Local independent MLA Gerry Wood said he had received personal assurances from Home ­Affairs Minister Peter Dutton that only the accommodation farthest from the school would be used.

“People are concerned, but the problem is that the government is acting so quickly that the time to get information out to people is quite limited,” Mr Wood said.

“The government has already made up its mind.”

Territory Health Minister Nat­asha Fyles said the evacuees were “not sick”. “These are Australians, potentially Territorians, who need to get home,” Ms Fyles said.

Local talk radio stations have played calls from listeners concerned about potential impacts on businesses and threatening to take their children out of school.

As was the case with the first rescue flight, passengers will under­go health checks before boarding and will wear surgical masks throughout the flight, to be changed hourly.

Mr Gunner said the evacuees would land at Darwin Airport and be processed through a Defence terminal, before travelling by bus to the workers village, having no contact with the local population.

“There will be no health risk to the general public. I have sought and gained that assurance from the federal government,” Mr Gunner said.

Earlier, federal Education Minister­ Dan Tehan hosed down proposals for universities to set up their own coronavirus quarantine facilities for Chinese students, ­saying the government would rely on medical advice before altering its China travel ban.

The nation’s universities are scrambling to come up with their own quarantine plans to allow 100,000 Chinese students to come to Australia to start their courses, to avoid a multibillion-dollar ­financial hit.

Mr Tehan told The Weekend Australian all such proposals would be contingent on medical advice. “The government has been open to hearing any new proposals, including contingencies ­regarding quarantine, but will ultimately be guided by the medical experts and health authorities,” he said.