Covid-19 NT: Monsoons nightclub in Darwin a ‘location of concern’

A popular nightclub has been dubbed a ‘location of concern’ as more exposure sites are connected to a positive Covid-19 case that came out of the blue.

Northern Territory authorities are still no closer to determining the patient zero who sparked a mass Covid-19 scare across Darwin and Katherine.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said on Friday the positive case, aged in his 20s, was in the care of workers at the Centre for National Resilience and was being questioned in the hope of tracking down the source of infection.

On Friday and Saturday night the man spent time with a person who travelled to the NT from Cairns.

Mr Gunner said that person was being questioned while in quarantine to see if they were the possible source.

The Katherine region entered an emergency 72-hour lockdown over the locally acquired case as of 12.01am on Friday.

The unvaccinated contract worker who was working at the RAAF Base Tindal in Katherine is the NT’s first case of community transmission since the start of the pandemic.

Greater Darwin has also entered its first “lockout” that only applies to unvaccinated people.

Those with two jabs can continue with their movements but must wear a mask, while those who don’t can only leave their homes for essential reasons, like getting tested or vaccinated and for grocery shopping.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said authorities were still working to determine the source of infection after a RAAF Base worker tested positive. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

Mr Gunner said 13 close contacts who were on a fishing charter on Sunday between 6am and 2pm had been contacted and put into isolation.

He said 53 close contacts were linked to the Katherine Club where 26 had been contacted and put in quarantine, while 27 were yet to hear from authorities.

Two additional casual exposure locations were also announced where anyone who attended during the allocated days and times must immediately get tested and remain in self-quarantine until a negative test is returned.

These locations are Katherine Woolworths on Monday, November 1 from 6.30pm to 6.50pm and the Puma Katherine Truckstop in Katherine South on Tuesday, November 2 between 6.17am and 6.25am.

Monsoons nightclub in Darwin has been named a ‘location of concern’. Picture: Keri Megelus

The Chief Minister said the Monsoons nightclub in Darwin was also a “location of concern”.

“We don’t think the positive case was infectious on Friday, October 29 when he was there, but given the amount of people there and the long exposure period, this may have been where he picked up the virus,” Mr Gunner said.

“We don’t know that but to be safe it’s the assumption we’re going to work on now.”

Anyone who has been to the popular nightclub is asked to seek testing and remain in isolation until a negative result is received.

The United Noonamah Roadhouse is now a low-risk exposure site where those who visited the business on Monday, November 1 from 6.50am to 6.52am need to get tested for the virus and isolate until a negative result is received.

No positive traces of Covid-19 were detected in wastewater from Darwin earlier in the week. Authorities are still waiting on the results from Katherine.