Qld govt forges ahead with quarantine camp
Queensland will forge ahead with its COVID-19 quarantine camp near Toowoomba, despite reports the federal government wants to scale down a facility being built in Brisbane.
The state government is building a 1000-bed facility at Wellcamp, while the federal government is building another 1000-bed quarantine camp in Brisbane, like similar camps in Melbourne and Perth.
However the federal government is considering downsizing those facilities as states progressively open their international borders, according to News Corp.
Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said the state-funded facility at Wellcamp would be needed for foreign and unvaccinated travellers for the foreseeable future and there were no plans to scale it down.
"I understand that our plan is still on track for 1000-bed facility by around March-April next year," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"Once again, you only need to look at the fast track of how this facility has been built, we're well on track to achieve that."
It comes as Queensland records no new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and the state prepares to open home quarantine to double-dosed domestic arrivals at the 70 per cent vaccination mark.
Quarantine will be scrapped for all domestic arrivals when 80 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, or December 17 at the latest.
Almost 78 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have had one jab and 64.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has also discussed the merits of specific quarantine periods, and the issue is likely to come up again at national cabinet on Friday, Deputy Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken says.
"Whether it's 14, seven, zero and a whole range of options," he said from Rockhampton on Tuesday.
"It would be premature to jump before all that evidence is there, and we need to make a decision that protects Queenslanders."
Meanwhile, Queensland Health will set up a special pop-up vaccination clinic after up to six people were ultra-low dosed with the Pfizer vaccine in error at a clinic at Flagstone in southern Logan on Saturday.
The mistake means any of 175 people who were vaccinated at the clinic that day may not have been given enough vaccine to give them immunity.
Metro South Health's Dr Michael Cleary apologised for the error and said it was detected following the conclusion of the pop-up clinic as part of the due diligence process.
"I apologise for any distress this has caused to those 175 people and their families. We will, of course, be supporting every single person impacted," Dr Cleary said.
Queensland police have fined a Gold Coast man who tested positive two weeks ago over a border breach.
The 36-year-old Broadbeach man was fined $4135 for failing to comply with border directions.
He allegedly visited Victoria and NSW before parking his vehicle at Tweed Heads and walking across the Queensland border about 5.40pm on October 15.
Gold Coast police said the man did not have a border pass to enter the state.
