Construction is under way at Melbourne’s Centre for National Resilience – the unwieldy name given to the new quarantine facility in Mickleham – with the camp set to open by the end of the year.
A community engagement session was held earlier this week on progress of the fast-tracked 1000-bed accommodation site for returning travellers, however residents were told that builders would not be delayed by any consultation process.
Earthworks have begun at an empty paddock in Melbourne’s north, which sits next to the federal government’s pet quarantine facility and is about 300 metres from homes.
The project is being modelled on the Howard Springs centre in the Northern Territory, which has proven to be highly effective at preventing leaks of COVID-19 compared to hotel quarantine.
Multiplex has been engaged to construct the facility, with 80 per cent of the buildings to be prefabricated off-site. The centre can be extended to 3000 beds but will be operational as soon as 500 are ready later this year.
Among the issues raised by the public at an information session on Thursday were questions about the impact on real estate prices, the threat of the virus escaping into the community and why residents were only receiving information about the project now.
See the pics and read the rest here: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/construction-of-mickleham-quarantine-camp-is-under-way-20210812-p58i50.html