Community
2 April, 2022
CAIRNS HOSPITAL gives thanks to quarantine hotel
THE Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) has thanked the Pacific Hotel for two years of service as a quarantine facility, as the facility will re-open to the public next week.
The Pacific Hotel was contracted as a Queensland Government nominated accommodation provider for COVID-19 quarantine on March 28, 2020.
Queensland’s hotel quarantine program ended in February 2022 with the opening of the dedicated regional facility, the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba.
CHHHS COVID-19 Health Incident Controller, Rudi De Faveri, thanked the Pacific Hotel for its substantial contribution to preventing COVID-19 from spreading in Far North Queensland during the past two years.
“Reflecting on the two years that our Hospital and Health Service has worked in collaboration with the team from the Pacific Hotel and our colleagues from the Queensland Police Service and Australian Defence Force, one common theme continues to this day,” Mr De Faveri said.
“And that is the positive and collaborative interagency working relationships and friendships forged and maintained throughout this period.”
Mr De Faveri said the Pacific Hotel had become a gold standard of the hotel quarantine system in Cairns, catering for approximately 6,000 guests during the past two years.
“The record speaks for itself,” he said. “At no time during the past two years has there ever been any transmission of COVID-19 within the hotel, amongst its staff, or into the broader community because of the hotel quarantine system.
“This is due to the absolute commitment of all individuals and their collaborative efforts at maintaining the highest infection prevention standards within this facility.
“This was maintained even during fires and internal flooding – unpredictable crises that tested the system and its staff.”
CHHHS Acting Chief Executive Steve Thacker said the Pacific Hotel had played a key role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the Far North.
“Staff at the Pacific Hotel have been required to be regularly tested for COVID-19, fit-tested for face masks, participate in extensive training and development, and revise their processes around hotel operations,” he said.
“The staff from the Pacific Hotel have always maintained the utmost professionalism and have always had a ‘can do’ attitude to support the frequent changes in requirements within the facility to meet those gold standards.
“They have always gone above and beyond to look after their guests and our staff that worked alongside them each day.
“We thank them for everything they have done for us during the past two years and look forward to the facility opening to the community from April 2.”
