The Chief Health Officer has declared a number of hotspots across Victoria from 10 July 2021 for the purposes of travel to the Northern Territory. This date aligns with the period of time people were in the community while infectious.
Anyone travelling to the Northern Territory who has been in a COVID-19 hotspot in Victoria since 10 July 2021 and arrives in the Northern Territory after 5pm on 15 July 2021, will be required to undertake 14 days of mandatory supervised quarantine at the Alice Springs or Howard Springs quarantine facilities.
The person must remain in quarantine until noon of the 14th day after they were at the hotspot location.
Hotspot locations include:
· Greater Melbourne
· City of Greater Geelong
· Shire of Moorabool (including Bacchus Marsh)
These hotspot declarations are required to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak evolving in Victoria and the significant rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases seen today.
In addition, Chief Health Officer quarantine and testing directions remain in place for those people who have been to a public exposure site in Victoria.
Public exposure sites continue to change and it is important that those people who have arrived in the Northern Territory from Victoria since 7 June 2021 check the Victorian Health website daily to ensure compliance with the testing direction.
Victorian health authorities are undertaking considerable work to investigate, trace and locate close contacts.
A list of Victorian public exposure sites can be found at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites#public-exposure-sites-in-victoria.
A list of declared as COVID-19 hotspots can be found at https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/travel/quarantine/hotspots-covid-19
To book a COVID-19 test, contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 1800 490 484 or book online at https://covid19appointment.nt.gov.au/test
The Chief Health Officer will continue to review and assess the COVID-19 situation across Australia, and will take into account COVID-19 monitoring and data collection, the extent of community transmission and risks to the NT community.
The risk of COVID-19 in our communities cannot be eliminated which is why it is important for everyone to follow all health directions.
· If you have COVID-19 symptoms, do not travel. Make sure you get tested and stay at home.
· Maintain a physical distance of 1.5 metres at all times.
· Wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitiser regularly.
· Do not go to work if you feel sick.
· If you have symptoms, stay away from others and get tested for COVID-19.
Quotes attributable to Chief Health Officer, Dr Hugh Heggie
“The COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria is continuing to evolve with a number of new positive cases and public exposure sites announced today.
“The potential for community spread is significant and our hotspot declaration aligns with those areas of greatest risk across Victoria. We will continue to review and respond to the outbreak in Victoria and implement the appropriate controls as required.
“Declaring hotspots is always a difficult decision to make and is only done when the risk to Territorians is unacceptable. With a significant influx of visitors to the NT, it is critical that the health and safety of Territorians remains our first priority.”