Construction on Queensland's first dedicated regional quarantine facility has reached a new milestone with the installation of the first Toowoomba made and manufactured accommodation modules at the Wellcamp site.
On-site at Wellcamp for the installation Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said construction had continued to move quickly.
"Since the announcement of a joint agreement with Wagner Corporation back in August we've already seen the first concrete being poured and now the first modules on site," he said.
"Going forward, this quarantine facility will play a vital role in the success of Queensland's COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, as well as its COVID-19 Vaccination Plan to Unite Families.
"Our number one goal is to keep Queensland communities safe from COVID-19, because you can't have a healthy agricultural industry unless you get the health response right.
"When Queenslanders are fully vaccinated then we can all start to live more normal lives and this will have a flow-on effect for the State's economy and industry sectors like tourism and hospitality which have been heavily impacted by COVID-19."
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said Queensland needs purpose-built quarantine facilities like Wellcamp to build resilience should there be a community outbreak or if a new Covid-19 strain emerges in the future.
"Our use of border controls, quarantine measures and vaccinations have so far kept us one step ahead of the delta virus.
"As we look to our future of living with COVID we need to proceed in a measured, cautious and safe way to bring Queenslanders home and that includes a network of quarantine options such as quarantine facilities and home quarantine arrangements."
Wagner Corporation has confirmed that Queensland is on track for the first stage of the quarantine facility to be delivered for use by the end of this year.
Wagner Corporation Chairman John Wagner said the installation of the accommodation modules represented another rapidly reached milestone.
"We're on track to deliver over 1000 beds, 500 by late December 2021 and the remaining 500 in the first quarter of 2022," he said.
"The construction will create between 350 to 400 jobs.
"The Centre will continue to provide a significant economic boost to the region in terms of local jobs and regional development opportunities."
