The NT Chief Health Officer has confirmed that Regional South Australia will be revoked as a hot spot from midday today. This means that people arriving in the Northern Territory from Regional South Australia will no longer have to undertake mandatory supervised quarantine. Anyone currently in mandatory quarantine from Regional South Australia will be able to exit.
Greater Adelaide remains as a declared hotspot for the purposes of travel to the Northern Territory. Greater Adelaide Local Government Areas still declared as hot spots are listed at
If you have been in Greater Adelaide, apart from the airport, at any point in the past 14 days, you are not permitted free access to the Northern Territory. If you arrived in the Northern Territory from Greater Adelaide in the 14 days prior to it being declared a hotspot you are still required to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 1800 008 002 and identify yourself as a person who has been in an area that has been declared a hotspot since you arrived in the NT. You should also practice high levels of personal hygiene and physical distancing.
The Chief Health Officer has been monitoring the situation in South Australia closely, taking into account the monitoring and data collection of COVID-19, extent of community transmission and risks to the NT community.
Multiple meetings have also been held with all of the Chief Health Officers from across Australia including through the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) to better understand the cluster of cases in South Australia and to discuss the extensive public health response that has been undertaken to contact trace and contain the outbreak.
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 1.5m at all times.
· Wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitiser regularly.
· If you have symptoms, stay away from others and book a COVID-19 test on 1800 008 002
For more information about hot spots and to stay up to date with the latest information visit www.coronavirus.nt.gov.au
Quotes attributable to Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie
“I made the decision to go hard and wide and declare all of South Australia a hotspot on Monday. This decision was critical to protect the health of Territorians while the situation was unclear and we waited to confirm the extent of the outbreak.
“I have been constantly reviewing and monitoring the COVID-19 cases in South Australia, in conjunction with the other Chief Health Officers from across Australia. We now know that all of the positive cases are connected to one cluster that originated from an international traveller.
“The South Australian public health response has been swift and extensive, with lockdown measures being put into place and more than 4,500 tests being done daily. No cases outside of the cluster have been identified and there are no mystery cases or community transmission.
“As I said on Monday, I would continue to review the situation and narrow the hotspot declaration if required. I am now confident that the cases in South Australia are limited to a cluster in a small geographical area and that these have been contained and pose a low risk to the Northern Territory.’’
“I will continue to review and monitor the situation across South Australia and all of Australia, and if I consider the risk to Territorians to be unacceptable, I will act quickly, as I have done in this instance, to protect the health of our community.”
ENDS