Queensland has recorded no new virus cases as more than 600 cars are turned around at the border with authorities tightening controls after the NSW lockdown.
MOU signed on proposed quarantine facility in Brisbane qld.gov.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from qld.gov.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Once a memorandum of understanding with the Queensland government is signed, work will begin in October to transform Pinkenba’s Damascus Barracks into a 1000-bed COVID-19 quarantine centre.
Brisbane quarantine hub receives green light
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Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has welcomed the news that the proposed quarantine site on Commonwealth land near Brisbane Airport has been deemed a viable option, adding that it must be “built as soon as possible.”
According to a feasibility study, the Damascus Barracks site at Pinkenba, about eight kilometres northeast of the city’s CBD, is a suitable option for a new dedicated quarantine site, but any facility would not open until early next year.
After months of agitation by Queensland for a regional facility near Toowoomba, the federal government floated the site as its preferred location for a quarantine hub in late June.
Twin quarantine sites could remove need for hotel scheme: Qld Premier
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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says her state would be able to stop the use of hotels for COVID-19 quarantine altogether if its stalled regional quarantine hub could be constructed alongside the federal government’s preferred site near the Brisbane Airport.
The state government and Commonwealth have reached an agreement around some details of the proposed standalone quarantine facility on Defence Department land in Pinkenba, though the state is still refusing to stop pushing for another site near Toowoomba.