Скачать или смотреть Northern Territory to double capacity at Howard Springs quarantine facility

The number of repatriated Australians being housed at Howard Springs will be doubled after a deal was struck between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments.

The quarantine facility near Darwin will take 1000 international arrivals per fortnight, up from 500.

There are more than 36,000 Australians stranded abroad.

“We are very close to concluding an agreement with the Northern Territory to double the capacity for Howard Springs, which is the quarantine facility, to bring home more Australians earlier,” federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

“What we see is that we’ve exceeded our targets of bringing Australians home, but, as is the case, always there are more people looking to come home.

“So we have to work with the states on expanding hotel quarantine capacity, but we’re also working directly with the Northern Territory.”

As Mr Hunt was making the announcement on Friday morning, three more people at Howard Springs tested positive to COVID-19 after arriving on a flight Thursday.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner was asked if the health of Territorians was being put at risk with international arrivals.
“It’s absolutely true that the risk to the nation right now of exposure to coronavirus is in accepting international arrivals,” he said.

“I don’t believe you, therefore, put up the walls and let no one in.”