Mayor Paul Antonio wants early vaccine option for residents if quarantine hub goes ahead

If a quarantine hub at Wellcamp Airport goes ahead, Mayor Paul Antonio will be asking Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to look at early vaccination options for local residents.

Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio said if plans for a quarantine hub at Wellcamp Airport got off the ground he would be asking the Premier to look at early vaccination options for Toowoomba residents to “alleviate a bit of the concern” in the community.

He also said it was a good time to “have that discussion about bringing the new hospital forward too”.

“There are some issues the State Government can help us with – youth unemployment and that sort of thing. I think we can have a discussion around that.”

Cr Antonio also said it was his personal belief that any plans for a quarantine hub at Wellcamp Airport would need to have “significant medical capacity” to avoid putting pressure on Toowoomba’s hospitals.

The leader of Toowoomba Regional Council said he was “comfortable” with the quarantine methodology that had been proposed to him but said he would be “advocating very strongly that there be significant medical capacity on board in the quarantine area”.

“I mean, it all sounds quite fine to me to have them flying in – bus – quarantine,” he said.

“But if they had to go to the hospital, that adds another complication.

“There ought to be significant medical capacity on site in the quarantine area so the hospitals here in Toowoomba will not be collecting people who have COVID-19.

“I would hope in the not-to-distant future I will get a phone call from the Premier and we can confirm all those sorts of things.”

Cr Antonio and a number of councillors were briefed on the Wagners’ proposal during a visit to Wellcamp yesterday.