Coronavirus: Palaszczuk plans to deal with a worst-case scenario

Queensland is planning for convention centres and mining camps to be converted into field hospitals.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has said the government was quietly planning how to transform the Brisbane Convention Centre and the Ekka showgrounds, as well as vacant ­hotels and mining camps, into temporary field hospitals. Picture: AAP

Queensland is planning for a worst-case coronavirus scenario where public and private hospitals overflow and convention centres, Brisbane’s Ekka showgrounds and mining camps are converted into field hospitals. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it would be “negligent” not to have a strategy for a disastrous ­escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak in Queensland, where a further 31 confirmed cases on Sunday took the state’s total to 656.

A 75-year-old woman, who had been a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, died in Caboolture Hospital, north of Brisbane, on Saturday night after being diagnosed with the virus, bringing the national death toll to 16.

The Royal Brisbane Showgrounds were used during the Spanish flu crisis a century ago. Picture: Supplied

But Health Minister Steven Miles said the state’s containment measures were working.

“The rate of growth last week was half of that of the week ­before,” Mr Miles said. “We are flattening the curve, largely by ­social distancing, as well as the ­reduction in the number of people from overseas, returning from countries with high outbreaks.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the government had been quietly planning how to transform the Brisbane Convention Centre — close to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba — and the Ekka showgrounds, as well as vacant ­hotels and mining camps, into temporary field hospitals.

“We are hoping that we don’t ever have to come to this situation, but it would be negligent of us not to do all the planning that is necessary,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

A fever clinic being set up outside a Brisbane hospital. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen. Picture: AAP

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the state had enough capacity in public and private hospitals to deal with the virus, based on modelling. “In Queensland we always prepare for the absolute worst scenario; we very rarely need it,” Dr Young said.