Study raises questions about proposed Pinkenba quarantine facility

A man who been living in a Brisbane CBD backpackers hostel while unknowingly infectious with Covid-19 likely contracted the virus from a fellow plane passenger and not hotel quarantine as suspected.

A MAN who been living in a Brisbane CBD backpackers hostel while unknowingly infectious likely contracted the virus from a fellow plane passenger and not hotel quarantine as suspected.

This means his incubation period for the virus was significantly longer than 14 days, after he tested negative throughout his stay while in hotel quarantine.

Genomic sequencing confirmed the man has the Alpha strain of the virus and his case matches the virus that three other travellers on the same flights as him had contracted.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the man had flown from the Philippines to Papua New Guinea with those three travellers, before the group flew onward from PNG to Brisbane.

The other three men quarantined in a different hotel.

Ms D’Ath said it was likely the man contracted the virus either on the plane or while in transit.

He was released from hotel quarantine on July 17 and travelled to Western Australia, where he is from, and stayed in hotel quarantine there for two days before coming back to Brisbane and staying at the City Backpackers hostel on Roma St.

Joe's Place Backpackers has been locked down for 14 days. Picture: Tara Croser

Two backpacker hostels – City Backpackers HQ and Joe’s Place Backpackers – located next to one another have both been locked down and cordoned off by police.

Police said their understanding was the buildings went into a 14-day lockdown on Wednesday night. Queensland Health is yet to confirm whether residents will complete the quarantine period in the backpackers or be moved to another location.

Queensland Health workers were seen carrying boxes of PPE equipment including face masks into the buildings on Thursday morning.

A Covid-19 positive man stayed at a Brisbane backpackers hostel after becoming infected while in hotel quarantine. Picture: Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The update comes as chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young continues to warn Queensland’s hotel quarantine system is “clearly insufficient” and an alternative is “seriously needed”.

Dr Young warned the quarantine system was “clearly insufficient” in preventing Covid-19 from spreading into the community, while a state government spokesman warned the need for a dedicated site was “becoming more urgent every day”.

“This is clearly insufficient protection, our current hotel arrangements, we need to modify those,” she said.

“And as you know, the Queensland Government has been asking for a different quarantine model for many, many, many months now, and I think that needs to be seriously looked at.”

But whether or not a proposed 1000-bed quarantine facility can be built at the Damascus Barracks site in Pinkenba remains unknown, with a site assessment report set to be out within days.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young says hotel quarantine in Queensland is ‘clearly insufficient’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

As the latest leaks reignited debate around dedicated quarantine facilities, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed bureaucrats from both levels of government were working through some “legitimate issues” that had been raised by Queensland.

He said there was “no hold up” in finishing the study into the site and signalled the aim was still to have the facility up and running by the end of the year.

“There are a number of issues that have been raised in the process by the Queensland government, totally legitimate issues, we just have to work through those and hopefully we can proceed as soon as possible,” Mr Morrison said.

The report prepared by contractor AECOM, due out as early as this week, is expected to raise concerns about airport noise and flooding, with the site just five kilometres from Brisbane Airport and on a known flood plain.

It comes as aircraft noise generated by planes using Brisbane Airport’s third runway has sparked significant anger among riverside residents in recent months.

Brisbane Airport’s flight path tool estimated 50 or more aircraft a day with a minimum of 70 decibels each flying over the proposed quarantine site each weekday.

A study by the Department of Defence in 2016 found there were “no known contamination” at the Damascus Barracks facility, though historical activities at the base have included on-site waste disposal and underground fuel storage tanks.

A part of Damascus Barracks near Brisbane airport.

“It’s becoming more urgent every day to establish quarantine alternatives. Queensland will continue working productively with the Commonwealth to make this happen,” a government spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the sick crew members of bulk carrier MV Sanyu were expected to be moved from Weipa to a Covid-19 facility in Brisbane.

Dr Young said the ship, which had departed the Philippines 15 days ago, had informed authorities while it was in the Torres Strait en route to Weipa that a large section of the crew had fallen ill.

Health staff boarded the ship to test the 21-person crew, with 19 test positive.

Dr Young said those cases did not pose a risk to the highly vulnerable population in the Torres Strait or Far North Queensland.

Originally published as Study raises questions about proposed Pinkenba quarantine facility