NT records first coronavirus case in months due to tourist from Melbourne

The Northern Territory has reported its first COVID-19 case in nearly three months – and it’s come straight from Australia’s virus hotspot.

The Northern Territory has reported its first case of coronavirus in nearly three months – and it’s come straight from Australia’s virus hotspot.

NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles made the announcement this morning, telling reporters she understands “that people will be anxious hearing this news”, but reassured them “all the precautions have been followed and there’s a very low risk to out community”.

The Territory had essentially eradicated COVID-19, with its last positive infection recorded on April 6.

The new case is a returned overseas traveller, who completed their 14-day mandatory quarantine upon returning to Australia in Melbourne, where the virus is once again surging – sending 10 “hotspot” suburbs back into lockdown.

“They undertook quarantine in Melbourne. They then did have a couple of days and they were staying with family in one of the hot spot locations in Melbourne, I understand, before they were able to get a flight,” Ms Fyles said.

“They arrived in Darwin on Monday starting to feel unwell, and were tested and those results came through last night.”

RELATED: Follow the latest coronavirus updates

RELATED: Guard blows lid on hotel virus disaster

NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles announced this morning the Territory had recorded its first case of coronavirus in nearly three months. Picture: Che Chorley

The traveller, a male in his 30s, is isolating at the Royal Darwin Hospital, with Ms Fyles assuring Territorians he’d had “minimal contact with the broader community” and contact tracing was now underway.

“After a significant period of time where we have not had any locally diagnosed cases, this is obviously important to Territorians but we have measures in place to protect our community, these measures have been followed, but we still mustn’t be complacent around coronavirus,” she said.

“There is no cure, there is no vaccine. In terms of the Northern Territory – Territorians have worked hard and we need to continue to do that.

“This is not a case of community transmission. It is a returned traveller who has come out of one of those hot spots in Melbourne and returned to Darwin.”

NT chief health officer Hugh Heggie said the new infection serves an important reminder for Territorians not to become complacent.

“This is an important message that we do have another case that’s in the Territory and a reminder to all Territorians that this has not gone away. What’s important is that everything that we had put in place seems to have worked and Territorians need to be assured that there’s no risk to the community,” Dr Heggie said.

“A reminder that what we do when we come to our principles is very important.”

Dr Heggie said the man was well, only experiencing only a “mild disease”.

It’s not yet clear whether the man contracted the virus while staying with his family in one of Melbourne’s hot spots before flying home to Darwin, Ms Fyles explained.

RELATED: The lie Aussies believe about outbreak

On the contentious topic of state borders, she said it was “simplistic” to suggest the NT would follow Queensland’s lead by preventing Victorians from travelling there when the Territory’s borders reopen on July 17.

“In going forward, we don’t have a cure or vaccine, we need to step forward to the new normal,” Ms Fyles said.

“When the borders, those restrictions change again on July 17, it’s not suddenly travel between jurisdictions again. But those local government areas, HPPC and the clinical advice would designate those hot spots and I believe that over the coming months until we have avaccine, that these areas will change.”

Ms Fyles said while right now we’re seeing an outbreak in “very specific local government areas in the outer suburbs of Melbourne”, it could happen anywhere.

“We could see a situation in Queensland where we have got an outbreak perhaps in Cairns, but people in Brisbane aren’t impacted. So we need to be practical, we need to listen to that clinical advice,” she explained.

“Territorians, I can understand, they’ll be anxious and alarmed hearing this news today. It’s a considerable period of time since April when we last updated the community that we had a locally-diagnosed case.

“But we have to understand that we’re stepping forward into what is our new normal. So the restrictions are not going away on July 17. We’re changing those restrictions and measures, we’re keeping measures in place to protect the community and they’re based on clinical advice.”