CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK ‘Business as usual’ until first diagnosis

UNTIL the first cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed locally it’s business as usual for the Cairns Regional Council’s Local Disaster Management Group.

Following a monthly meeting of the unit yesterday, chairman Terry James said the group was yet to receive advice from the District Disaster Management Group.

“Nothing really came out of the meeting we had (yesterday), a similar briefing from Queensland Health like we have had in the past, so at this stage it’s business as usual,” he said.

However that situation could change overnight if the first COVID-19 patients were diagnosed locally, Cr James said.

“Once we receive (a confirmed case) we will get a new brief I would imagine,” he said.

To date there has been no speculation about how the population might be managed if a large number of people became infected.

“As a council we have a group that looks at this, our business continuity plan, so we are going through that process at the moment,” he said. “And I think that’s happening from all of the agencies, they are looking at their preparation, just in case.”

Part of the group’s role is to co-ordinate and develop strategies to help mitigate the effects of disasters and be prepared to respond when they do occur.

The Deputy Mayor was confident the group was ready to act when the COVID-19 begins to directly affect residents.

“We are looking at the business continuity plan right now to make sure we are prepared for all contingencies,” he said.

No stranger to disaster management Cr James was the deputy chairman on the local disaster group when Cyclone Yasi affected the Cairns region in 2011.

But, unlike a cyclone, there are many unknown factors associated the unprecedented health emergency presented by the coronavirus.

“It’s a moving beast and we just take our cue day-by-day at the moment,” he said.

CAIRNS Airport expects more domestic flights to be cancelled in the wake of Qantas axing most of its routes.

Qantas and Jetstar announced yesterday its international and domestic flights would be slashed by 90 per cent and 60 per cent respectively in coming months, as passengers bunker down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A Cairns Airport spokeswoman said the introduction of unprecedented global travel restrictions would continue to impact the ability of passengers to visit the Far North.

“Our airport will continue to support passengers who continue to fly but we expect travel to contract further as more non-essential travel comes into operation,” she said.