Equipped with just seven beds, it wouldn't take much for health resources at the Mornington Island Hospital to be overwhelmed.
Now, the predominantly Indigenous community is facing a rise in its first lot of COVID-19 cases after infected travellers from Cairns touched down on the Gulf island on Monday.
Although only six cases were recorded on Wednesday, numbers are rising. Local authorities are wary that a significant jump could have "dire consequences" for the many residents living with chronic illness.
"We have a lot of people with pre-existing conditions that obviously would make them very vulnerable to this virus," said Deputy Mayor of Mornington Shire Council David Barnes.
"While there hasn't been any community-to-community transmission, we are watching things closely," he said.
Although it is not mandated, Cr Barnes is calling for all travellers to clear a COVID-19 test before setting foot in the community.
"We need to be able to control who is travelling to and from the island, and we need to be aware of their COVID-19 status.
"Politically, as a country, we are moving away from lockdowns, so this is the next best option for us.
"We would need to be evacuating people off the island because our health services would be overwhelmed very quickly in the event of an outbreak," Cr Barnes said.
Rapid response
Following news of the cases, Queensland Police and extra Queensland Health staff were flown to Mornington Island to assist with enforcing mandates, testing, and vaccinations.
"When we're dealing with remote, vulnerable communities where residents have underlying health issues, it's all about acting as quickly as possible," said Senior Sergeant of the Mount Isa Police District and executive officer at the District Disaster Management Group (DDMG) Jeffrey Magnus.
So far, the community had dodged a bullet, Senior Sergeant Magnus said
The DDMG had also secured other accommodation options on the island for those unable to quarantine in their homes.
"The fact that the cases went and got tested immediately on arrival on the island and then went into isolation is also a good sign.
Councillor Barnes said he was proud of residents who had sprung into action in response to the cases.
"I know nearly 50 people turned up to get vaccinated on Wednesday, and it's been promising seeing everyone wearing their masks and social distancing."
Preserving a valuable community
As a remote, culturally and naturally rich part of the world, it was important for local leaders to help Mornington Island residents through a difficult time and communicate empathically on the topic of health, councillor Barnes said.
"People in the community are taking what they can from the western medical model, and also from the bush tucker and the native foods model and putting those things together to strengthen people's health and immunity.
"There are no sides being taken here. Everyone that's here looking after the community is doing it because it is so valuable in terms of its cultural heritage and its ecology.
"There's so much good here. We just really need to help to protect our people from this illness, to bring them through it and move on into the good future that it deserves."
