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Image Not Available for Mandatory Supervised Quarantine Information for Repatriation Residents
Mandatory Supervised Quarantine Information for Repatriation Residents
Image Not Available for Mandatory Supervised Quarantine Information for Repatriation Residents

Mandatory Supervised Quarantine Information for Repatriation Residents

Date2021
Object number00056305
NameBooklet
MediumPaper, metal
DimensionsOverall (Closed): 298 × 209 mm
Overall (Open): 298 × 415 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Roland Leikauf
DescriptionThis brochure for people undergoing mandatory quarantine in the Centre for National Resilience, also known as the Howard Springs Quarantine facility or Manigurr-Ma camp is 48 pages long. It contains information about COVID-19, the facility, rules for staying in the facility and information about living in the Northern Territory climate and environment. It covers the challenges of quarantine, including mental health and physical deterioration. Travel, immigration and quarantine are intimately connected. Quarantine stations like North Head in Sydney (opened 1832 and in use until 1984) were an important part of international travel and are rooted in the idea of treating both returning citizens and new immigrants as a health risk. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries adopted systems that had similarities to historical approaches to quarantine. This included both the creation of improvised (hotels) and organized (camps) as ways of quarantining travellers.HistoryTravel, immigration and quarantine are intimately connected. Quarantine stations like North Head in Sydney (opened 1832 and in use until 1984) were an important part of international travel and are rooted in the idea of treating both returning citizens and new immigrants as a health risk. Quarantining travellers directly on their mode of transport (like ships) proved to be slow and inefficient, so dedicated camps and stations were created, where the travellers were supposed to stay for a specific time after arrival. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries adopted systems that had similarities to historical approaches to quarantine. This included both the creation of improvised (hotels) and organized (camps) as ways of quarantining travellers. Those who wanted to either migrate or return to Australia were split in two “classes” based on their mode of travel, and they were treated very differently, even though all had to quarantine for two weeks. Travellers who were able to find the rare non-cancelled flight to Australia with a commercial airline had to enter hotel quarantine. Their place of quarantine was based on the state they travelled in, the airport where they arrived and bureaucratic decisions they had no influence on. Citizens and permanent residents had access to repatriation flights (direct flights from differing locations), and were all transported to the same location: the Centre for National Resilience, also known as the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility or Manigurr-Ma village , a former FIFO accommodation camp close to Darwin in the Northern Territory. In some of its aspects, the centre is very reminiscent of historical quarantine facilities: a highly regulated space created by the government that restricts personal freedoms to combat the threat of spreading diseases. During their stay, the travellers had to stay in separate one-person cabins and on their porch except on laundry days, when the laundry facilities were accessible for a short amount of time for specified huts. The cost for quarantine was $2500 per person, including three meals per day that were delivered contactless to the huts. The object is a key item depicting the situation the returnees found themselves in. It contains rules and regulations, but also advice to survive the mandated quarantine. The content reflects on the specifics of the Darwin landscape (heat, local diseases like Melioidosis, animals) but also on the negative effects of the quarantine itself: physical and mental deterioration. The document shows that the travellers are threatened with fines based on harsh regulations, but are at the same time constantly reminded to police themselves regarding, food, water, entertainment and mental health. The object also contains a map of the camp structure. The object is a prime example for the fact that connecting physical objects to Digital Born Items is essential. These items allow a deeper understanding of how the quarantine impacted the inmates, and how the rules in the booklet were implemented or used. In historical terms, the object contains rules, regulations and advice, while the digital sphere contains “diaries” and reactions of the people in the camp. Some examples can be found in the acquisition concept. SignificanceAs an everyday item that is useful only for one specific situation, it is to be expected that this type of item will be lost quickly after the quarantine facility is no longer in use. It should technically be available either in the National Archives of Australia or the Northern Territory Archives, but it is increasingly possible that only the digital version of these items will exist as the definitive source. Searches on websites where objects of this type are usually sold have not been successful.
As an object, the guide is one of the few artefacts that can be connected to the new (and in some ways very old) kind of quarantine that was created specifically for the Coronavirus pandemic.