The Chief Health Officer has declared all of Metropolitan Adelaide in South Australia as a hotspot for the purposes of travel to the Northern Territory effective from 12.01am on Wednesday 21 July 2021.
Anyone travelling to the Northern Territory, who has been in Metropolitan Adelaide in South Australia after 12.01am on 21 July 2021 and arrives in the Northern Territory will be required to undertake 14 days of mandatory supervised quarantine at the Alice Springs or Howard Springs quarantine facilities.
Anyone who has left Metropolitan Adelaide before 12.01am on 21 July 2021 is able to enter into the Northern Territory without having to undertake quarantine. This hotspot declaration does not extend back the usual 14 days.
This hotspot declaration is required to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak evolving in South Australia, with four new locally acquired cases.
Anyone already in the Northern Territory who has been to a COVID-19 public exposure site in South Australia since 8 July 2021 must follow the quarantine and testing directions already in place and listed on the NT COVID-19 website at https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/travel/quarantine/hotspots-covid-19
Public exposure sites continue to change and it is important that those people who have arrived in the Northern Territory from South Australia check the South Australian Health website daily to review the list of public exposure sites and comply with the directions.
A list of declared COVID-19 hotspots can be found on the NT COVID-19 website https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/
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.
· Check in using The Territory Check In App every time, everywhere
· If you have symptoms, stay away from others and get tested for COVID-19
· Wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitiser regularly
· Do not go to work if you feel sick
· Maintain a physical distance of 1.5 metres where possible
Quotes attributable to Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie:
“There are now three states with lockdown restrictions in place as COVID-19 continues to spread across Australia.
“What is important to understand is that the Delta variant has a much higher rate of infectivity and a shortened time for people to become infected with the virus and to infect others.
“The Delta variant also does more harm, as we are seeing in Sydney with a number of young people with COVID-19 being treated in the ICU and a number of people requiring ventilation.
“I urge everyone who is eligible in the Northern Territory to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Not only will it protect you and your family but it is the only way we can get life back to any sense of normal.’’