AMA NT’s Robert Parker says border controls should stay in place
TOP health professionals now say July 17 is too early to open the Territory’s borders, as Victoria’s cases continue to rise
Northern Territory
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- Chief Minister reveals NT border will reopen July 17
- Territory Alliance deputy Robyn Lambley says NT borders should open to WA and SA now, despite constitutional risk
TOP health professionals now say July 17 is too early to open the Territory’s borders, as Victoria’s cases continue to rise.
The Australian Medical Association of the NT and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory have hit out at the NT Government, saying we should keep the borders closed after July 17.
In a press release, president Robert Parker said the spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria showed it was too early to allow people to enter the NT without quarantine rules in place.
“The current spike in the pandemic cases in Victoria, requiring military intervention, may have profound consequences for the health of the NT population if current quarantine restrictions into the NT area eased,” the statement read.
“The current health measures proposed by the NT Government to deal with the relaxed quarantine restrictions appear significantly inadequate and are not designed to address the likely impact of “super spreaders”, asymptomatic individuals affected by the COVID-19 virus.
“The impact of one of these individuals coming into the NT and inadvertently passing on the virus to others is likely to have profound effects on the NT population and particularly vulnerable Aboriginal communities.
“The only way to effectively control the spread of the virus is by the current quarantine measures that have kept Territorians safe over the last few months with apparent zero local spread of the virus.
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“AMA NT and AMSANT recognise that the NT borders will need to be opened with relaxation of quarantine restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so. However, in the context of a current potential deadly second wave of the virus, any relaxation of border restrictions must be based sound evidence-based measures to protect the health of all Territorians.”
A spokesman for Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the plan to open on July 17 remained.
Originally published as AMA NT’s Robert Parker says border controls should stay in place