Key Takeaways:
- A $15 million purpose-built quarantine will be constructed in time for international students to return to Victoria by the end of the year.
- Once 500 beds are available, the facility will open to accept individuals to undergo quarantine.
- The purpose-built quarantine facilities created a stir of mixed responses among residents in the Mickleham site as it is close to residential zones.
The purpose-built quarantine facility in Mickleham will be constructed just in time for all international students to return to Victoria by the end of the year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that it will be a 1,000-bed facility, and will be open right away when the first 500 beds become available.
“A facility with a 1000-bed capacity will increase the number of Australians that can return to Australia and provide options to assist in our economic recovery by enabling arrivals of international students, skilled migrants, and other economic intakes into the medium term,” said the Prime Minister.
To get the project ready for construction, the state government already committed $15 million. The 500-bed facility is estimated to have a total cost of $200 million, and working cooperatively with the Commonwealth will help make this project successful.
While the construction of the quarantine facility is a big step for the incoming international students, it also raised concerns about the residents close to the Mickleham site. Locals felt the facility was too close to the residential zones, according to Craigieburn Residents’ Association president Debra Phippen. As such, there must be an assurance that there will be no potential breaches that will take place even if the facility has a lower transmission risk compared to hotel quarantines.
MSM Unify is your one-stop source platform that connects students, higher education institutions, and agents in Australia and the world. Subscribe now to get the latest updates and information on international education.
Google