BHP will allocate $7.6 million from its recently created Vital Resources Fund to set up COVID-19 testing centres in Moranbah and Proserpine.

It’s a move that will ease the strain on local health facilities and increase the separation between suspected cases and the local community.

The company was determined to play its part in the significant collective respons, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) asset president James Palmer said.

“While it is critical for the economy that we continue to safely operate our mines, we understand local concern about the risk of people moving into the region,” Mr Palmer said.

The resources sector continued to step up and protect its workers and the regional communities they worked in, said Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham.

“The sector has taken up the challenges of changed worked practices, of social distancing, of extra hygiene and reducing its travelling workforces, while continuing to provide pay packets for Queensland families,” he said.

The $7.6 million in funding to be spent building the testing centres is the largest single investment approved in the country in the first tranche of investments from BHP’s $50 million Vital Resources Fund.

To be managed by Vanguard Health, the centres will enable patients to be tested for COVID19 after presenting with clear symptoms of the virus, or following high-risk interaction.

These centres will offer triage and testing services with a tele-health capability.

The testing centres will offer additional protection to the local community during the pandemic bykeeping people who may be contagious away from other areas of hospitals and health centres, helping to reduce the potential for further spread of COVID19.

The initial investment will enable the centres to operate for a period of six months.

The BHP announcement comes after the Queensland Resources Council early this week said that resource companies operating charter flights for fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers into regional areas had advised Queensland Health and other essential agencies of opportunities to travel on charter flights where there are spare seats.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said spare seats would also be offered to members of regional communities in urgent need of air travel for health or family reasons.

“Our sector is committed to a ‘people first’ response to COVID-19 and is not only ensuring we protect our workers but also the communities in which we operate,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“While maintaining social distancing on board charter aircraft, companies where they can will offer spare seats, on a priority basis, to local essential service workers and people in need of urgent travel.”