Inside the NT facilities where coronavirus evacuees are being quarantined

A residential complex for mining workers - once described as a "stylish, innovative, and sustainable" accommodation village - is the temporary home for the latest Australians evacuated out of Wuhan.

One of the rooms inside the Manigurr-ma residential village in Howard Springs.

One of the rooms inside the Manigurr-ma residential village in Howard Springs. Source: Supplied

The second group of Australian citizens and permanent residents have arrived in Darwin after being evacuated from Wuhan, where they will be quarantined in an old mining camp just outside the city.

The latest group of evacuees will be held in the  - 30km southeast of Darwin - after the government announced the Christmas Island detention centre, where almost 300 people are currently quarantined, was full.
Medical facilities at the complex.
Medical facilities at the complex. Source: Supplied
The complex was built in 2012 by Japanese energy firm Inpex as accommodation for its workers and at its peak housed 3,500 workers.

It was closed in 2018 and has been abandoned since.



Photos from inside the facility show modern medical facilities, a lecture theatre, lap pool, cafeteria, basketball courts, gym and recreation area with a pool table and dartboards. 

It is unclear if the evacuees will have full access to the activities.
Evacuees are expected to arrive at the residential complex on Sunday.
Evacuees are expected to arrive at the residential complex on Sunday. Source: Supplied
The bedrooms appear to have air-conditioning, mini-fridges, desks and coffee and tea making facilities.

The Manigurr-ma Village website describes the complex as a "stylish, innovative and sustainable accommodation village" and the first of it's kind in a major Australian city.

"Residents have access to after-hours activities like swimming, cycling, beach volleyball and indoor cricket to improve and maintain their health and fitness," according to the website.
The recreation room.
The recreation room. Source: Supplied
The new quarantine area seems a far cry from the facilities on Christmas Island, which were originally constructed to house illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.

Evacuees housed on the island, which is located in the Indian Ocean and closer to Indonesia than Australia's west coast, have complained of cockroaches in their bedrooms and poor internet connections.
The pool at Howard Springs.
The pool at Howard Springs. Source: Supplied
All Australians evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, which remains under lockdown, are required to submit to quarantining for two-weeks before being able to re-enter wider society.

Fifteen people have so far been diagnosed with the coronavirus in Australia, with more than 30,000 infected worldwide.


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2 min read
Published 9 February 2020 10:57am
Updated 9 February 2020 6:37pm
By Maani Truu



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