A Melbourne University epidemiologist says purpose built quarantine facilities need be constructed at any cost. A fourth COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria has once again ignited calls to move away from hotel quarantine.

While a proposal for the construction of a purpose built facility in Victoria has come in at two hundred million dollars.

Head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Heath Nancy Baxter told Oliver Peterson having these facilities in place will serve Australia in the long haul.

“As much as we’d like COVID-19 to be over, it’s not going to be over for a while,” she said.  “Unfortunately I think these pandemics may become more common, and if we had these facilities then we’d be more at risk.”

It’s estimated that the Melbourne lock down is set to cost one billion dollars, with the quarantine facilities expected to cost $200 million. Professor Baxter believes the facilities are a no brainer.

“We all know that hotel quarantine isn’t going to be 100 per cent safe and there’s no way we can entirely protect us from COVID-19. It’s not fit for purpose, particularly for people with a really highly infectious strain.”

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