It has only taken four hard lockdowns totalling 23 weeks and more than 700 deaths, but the federal government has finally approved the construction of a $200 million quarantine facility on federal land at Mickleham in northern Melbourne.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the site in a letter to Acting Premier James Merlino.
The facility will have an “initial 1,000 bed capacity”, but it will open when the first 500 beds are available to speed up the project.
