Tennant, Ali Curung out of lockdown as Territory woman fights for life against Covid-19

Lockdowns have ended in two Territory communities, as the Territory records 10 new cases on Thursday and a woman fights for her life in hospital.

UPDATE 4PM THURSDAY: A WOMAN who is unvaccinated is in the “fight of her life” in intensive care after being infected with Covid-19.

But lockdown has eased in Tennant Creek and Ali Curung despite another five cases of Covid-19 being detected in the past 24 hours in the Barkly region.

It took the number of cases associated with the Territory’s “regional cluster” of the Delta variant to 131.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the cases reported on Thursday were a woman in her 60s, a man in his 50s, a woman in her 40s, a man in his 30s and a 19-year-old man.

Ms Fyles said the woman in her 60s was in ICU suffering from severe symptoms of Covid-19.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles revealed a woman in her 60s was in ICU with Covid-19. Picture: Floss Adams.

“We’ll be thinking of her over the coming hours and days,” Ms Fyles said.

She said it was a reminder of the severity of Covid-19 and urged Territorians, particularly in the Barkly, to get vaccinated as a priority.

“It is a virus that kills,” she said.

“If you are unvaccinated, please go and get vaccinated. If you have a child that is 12 or over, please make sure they are vaccinated.” Ms Fyles said the lockdown in Tennant Creek and Ali Curung could end, but only the fully vaccinated would be allowed to leave Tennant.

Checkpoints had been set up on both sides of the town to check for vaccination status.

Additionally, people cannot leave Tennant Creek to travel to an exclusion zone or remote community.

Locals come out as lockdown in Tennant Creek lockdown ends. Picture: Catherine Grimley, Tennant & District Times

UPDATE 5.30PM WEDNESDAY: DARWIN and Alice Springs residents sick with Covid-19 will be allowed to recover in their own homes, rather than in a quarantine facility.

And in yet another change to government’s border rules, recent arrivals will self-administer rapid antigen tests (RAT) on day three and six of being in the Northern Territory, rather than lining up for a PCR test.

The shift in policy, taken after an emergency meeting of national cabinet, was designed to ease pressure on the NT’s struggling Covid-19 testing system.

But arrivals will still need to wait in line at busy testing centres interstate to get a PCR test in the 72 hours before they fly to the Territory.

The changes come as the nation rushes to prevent a drastic surge in cases of the new Omicron variant, which health modelling has predicted could overwhelm Australia’s emergency departments.

Territorians will be able to isolate at home in Darwin and Alice Springs. Picture: iStock.

Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison said anyone with a positive Covid-19 RAT test would then need to get a PCR test to confirm the result.

“These are changes to control the spread of Covid in the Territory while prioritising the turnaround of test results for those who are symptomatic, and take pressure off national resources,” Ms Manison said.

Rapid tests would be provided free-of-charge upon arriving in the Territory.

In a major shift, residents in Alice Springs and Darwin will be able to isolate at home with Covid-19.

Ms Manison said the move was being taken because both centres had major hospitals, and so the Territory wouldn’t need to isolate them at Howard Springs.

“The pilot will commence as specific positive cases present and are determined as suitable, and will be trialled until late January with regular reporting to our health officials.”

Housemates would need to isolate for seven days as close contacts.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison recommended Australians wear mask but backed away from mandating them. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

There were five new cases of Covid-19 reported in the Territory over the past 24 hours, three associated with the Katherine cluster and two which were recent arrivals into Darwin from interstate.

The three local cases were a woman in her 50s in Barrow Creek, a teen in Howard Springs from Katherine East and a child from Tinkarli Town Camp near Tennant Creek. A mask mandate has also been announced for Alice Springs and Amoonguna for the next 48 hours.

Speaking after national cabinet, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said masks were “highly recommended” in some settings to reduce the spread of Omicron.

But Mr Morrison sought to push back on state and territory leaders, who were reportedly pushing for booster shots to be brought forward to earlier than five-months.

UPDATED 2.30PM WEDNESDAY: ALICE Springs and Amoonguna community will implement a mask mandate for 48 hours inside public spaces and venues, in response to recent Covid-19 cases.

Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison said: “This is in recognition of the early movement of recent cases and close contacts, while contact tracing is underway,” she said.

“And acknowledging that it will not be possible to socially distance in some of those public indoor settings at the moment, like shopping centres.

“This is a sensible public health measure to protect yourself and protect those around you while we gather more information around the close contacts.”

Three new cases related to the remote cluster were recorded: a woman in her 50s who is a known close contact of previous cases in Barrow Creek area. She was infectious in the community and contact tracing is underway.

The second case is a teen from Katherine East who tested positive in the Howard Springs quarantine facility. They are a known close contact and were not infectious in the community.

The third case is a child from Tinkarli Town Camp near Tennant Creek. They might have been infectious in the community, with contact tracing underway.

The Tennant Creek and Ali Curung lockdowns were extended 24 hours to Thursday 5pm.

An additional two cases were recorded from interstate travellers: a man in his 20s who travelled to the NT on JQ672 from Sydney, and a man in his 30s from the QF1 flight from Sydney.

Contact tracing is underway.

The NT government will also implement a Covid at home pilot mode in Greater Darwin and Alice Springs.

“The pilot will commence as specific positive cases present and are determined as suitable and will be trialled until late January, with regular reporting to our health officials,” Ms Manison said.

“Under the pilot people will need to be self-sufficient in a suitable place of quarantine and will have to access to Telehealth so we can monitor this progress. This will only be available to double vaccinated patients only.”

UPDATED 2PM WEDNESDAY: ACTING Chief Minister Nicole Manison will provide an update at 2.30pm, following a meeting of national cabinet.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already addressed the nation following the meeting of leaders, recommending Australians wear masks amid surging cases of the Omicron variant.

The new variant has been detected in every Australian state and territory, including the Northern Territory.

Mr Morrison said Australia was “well prepared for Omicron” and said the new strain had not had any major impact on the health system yet.

The Prime Minister also appeared to push back on a push by premiers and chief ministers to bring forward booster doses, saying medical experts needed to make the determination.

Ms Manison is expected to update the Territory on whether there are any new cases around Tennant Creek, which has emerged as a new Covid hotspot.

Cases in the town have been linked to the Katherine cluster, which stands at 123 infections.

More to come.

UPDATED 11AM WEDNESDAY: HEALTH Minister Natasha Fyles has admitted there are long wait times for Covid-19 test results for returning travellers.

It comes as Chief Minister Michael Gunner prepares to dial in to an emergency national cabinet on Wednesday with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other state and territory leaders.

An announcement about national cabinet’s decisions will be made in the afternoon.

Testing has come under pressure nationally amid a surge in Omicron cases and testing requirements for interstate travel.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Fyles said close contacts in the NT were being prioritised and that the testing backlog had not been caused by laboratory capacity.

She said logistics behind the scenes were causing significant delays.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles. Picture: Floss Adams.

Opposition Health spokesman Bill Yan said he had heard of some essential workers in Alice Springs waiting up to 80 hours for a test result.

“That’s 80 hours they may not know if they’ve got Covid,” Mr Yan said.

“The key is getting those test results back quickly. At the moment it’s a timebomb.”

Mr Yan said the NT needed to act quickly to prevent going down the same path as New South Wales and Queensland, which have both seen record-breaking Omicron case numbers in recent days.

“I think the government probably needs to have a close look at who is coming across the border the number of people,” he said.

EARLIER: THE Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care has banned anyone from entering or exiting Ali Curung and surrounding homelands just days out from Christmas.

The determination was made on Tuesday night at the bequest of the Territory government but supported by the Central Land Council and Aboriginal Medical Alliance Services NT (AMSANT).

In a statement Minister Greg Hunt said the decision was made to prevent further spread of Covid-19 in the remote communities.

“All residents of Ali Curung and surrounding homelands are encouraged to continue to follow their local NT Health Department directions, to get tested and to book their vaccinations,” read the statement.

Mr Hunt said the decision was consistent with extensive planning undertaken by the Australian Government in partnership with the Northern Territory government, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on Covid-19, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Northern Territory Land Councils, and the National Indigenous Australians’ Agency (NIAA).

The decision came after the Territory’s own health minister Natasha Fyles announced a further 9 cases in the remote town of Tennant Creek on Tuesday.

Two of the cases were already seeking treatment at the Royal Darwin Hospital, including one in ICU.

TUESDAY: THE NT has recorded 14 new cases of Covid overnight.

11 of the cases are linked to the current cluster, taking the total to 123.

Two were isolating at Howard Springs after being identified as a close contact.

The nine other cases were in Tennant Creek.

An additional three cases were not linked to the Katherine cluster, but were all isolating when they received the result.

One was an aircrew member on the London to Darwin flight, one was an unvaccinated visitor from South Australia and the other was a close contact of cases found in Yulara.

It is believed the Yulara case is likely to be the Omicron variant, after the other two cases were confirmed of that strain.

280 tests were done in Tennant Creek, while 200 tests were collected in Katherine.

Two exposure sites were added as casual contacts of the current outbreak.

These include:

Way Out Bush Store in Ti-tree from 8pm to 10pm on December 17, and

Shell Coles Express Alice Springs Truck Stop in Braitling from 12pm to 2pm on December 18.

EARLIER: THREE cases of Covid-19 were recorded overnight, with the Tennant Creek lockdown extended.

The first case is a child from Tennant Creek, who is a close contact of an existing case from Wuppa Camp. The child is already in Howard Springs.

The other cases are a man and woman in their 30s from Walkabout Bore Outstation.

Both had visited Tennant Creek a week ago. The woman tested positive after she went to the Alice Springs Hospital for an unrelated concern.

All of the cases are related to the Katherine cluster. There are now 467 close contacts with 413 contacted and in isolation.

Thirteen people are in the Alice Springs Hospital. One is still in ICU but their condition is improving.

Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison said as a result, the Tennant Creek lockdown was extended until December 22 at 5pm.

Ms Manison said the lockdown for Ali Curung would be monitored in case it needed to be extended.

The mask mandate for the Barkly region remains in place however Ms Manison said it would be lifted immediately for: Katherine, Barunga, Timber Creek, Kalkarindji, Gilwi, Pigeonhole, Beswick, Lajamanu, Bulla, Manyallaluk and Dagaragu.

EARLIER: TERRITORIANS will receive a Covid-19 update this morning, a day after Ali Curung entered a snap lockdown and seven cases related to the Katherine cluster were recorded.

Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison, chief health officer Hugh Heggie and Territory Controller Jamie Chalker will front the media about 11am.

Originally published as Tennant, Ali Curung out of lockdown as Territory woman fights for life against Covid-19