Australians who have been evacuated from a cruise ship hit with a deadly outbreak of Hantavirus will be kept in Perth’s quarantine facility that was built during the COVID pandemic, but never used.

Six passengers are set to land at Perth’s RAAF base in Pearce later this week before being transferred to the Bullsbrook facility to quarantine.

Five Australians from New South Wales and Queensland will remain in the quarantine zone along with a New Zealand national for at least three weeks.

None of the passengers are displaying symptoms of the virus according to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who announced the quarantine plan on Monday afternoon.

“The Commonwealth has consulted with Western Australia, which was always going to be the first port of entry by this repatriation flight, and also with New South Wales and Queensland directly given that the Australians are all residents of those two states,” he said.

“The AHPC, the (Australian) Health Protection Committee, has been consulted on those arrangements, as well as I set up a meeting this afternoon.

“This period of three weeks quarantine will obviously only cover part of the 42 day quarantine period, or potential incubation period that is understood to be relevant to this particular virus.

“As we move into that three week period, we’ll be seeking further advice from the Chief Health Officers through the AHPC about what arrangement should take place beyond that initial three weeks.”

Mr Butler said details around staffing arrangements were still to be worked out, including whether staff would come and go between the facility and community.

But he moved to quell concerns the virus could lead to a similar situation as COVID.

“They’re two very different types of virus, I think all of the public health advice about this virus is that it is not a virus with pandemic potential and transmission is very difficult, human to human,” he said.

“But that does not mean that there is not a risk of transmission, as you’ve seen, three deaths from eight cases, transmission of this virus can have very, very serious, including deadly consequences.”

The passengers have been held in limbo for weeks since an outbreak of the rat virus was confirmed on the ship, which has so far killed three people.

The $400 million Bullsbrook quarantine facility was built during the COVID pandemic and completed in 2022 but never used, it has sat empty ever since.

Recently the facility has been suggested for other uses such as crisis accommodation or as a prison.

AMA WA President Kyle Hoath said now was not the time to panic, but said it served as a reminder to stay home if you are sick.

“There’s no need for public concern around the Hantavirus at this stage,” he said.

“There are plans in place to manage the cases as they come into WA and I’m confident that WA Health will have a plan around how we manage these cases if they do need to be managed in a hospital environment so there’s no need to panic at this stage.

“As to whether or not you should wear a mask or follow some basic health procedures? We’re coming into winter, I think it’s a great idea to wear a mask, to wash your hands, and to stay home if you’re sick.”