More than 1000 travellers enter the NT as Australia breaks its single day COVID-19 case record

MORE than a 1000 travellers streamed into the Northern Territory in 24 hours as Australia recorded a national daily high of 502 coronavirus cases.

MORE than a 1000 travellers streamed into the Northern Territory in 24 hours as Australia recorded a national daily high of 502 coronavirus cases.

Authorities confirmed 1154 people entered the Territory between 5am Tuesday and 5am on Wednesday across all border entry points.

As of noon on Wednesday, 180 people were holed up at the Howard Springs facility — the disused workers camp in rural Darwin that had initial space for 300 travellers with the ability to scale up when needed.

People forced to undertake supervised mandatory quarantine in the Red Centre are being housed at the Mercure Hotel instead of the Ross Facility, which is being “reserved for people with high care needs”.

Arrivals from COVID-19 hotspots at Darwin International Airport en route to mandatory quarantine. Picture: Glenn Campbell

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A Secure NT spokeswoman said there had been “no need” to use the Ross Facility yet and “high care needs” could refer to a myriad things that “may constitute higher care depending on a clinic health assessment of a person’s health and wellbeing at a point in time”.

“This could include but is not limited to pre-existing medical conditions, disability or mental wellbeing,” she said.

A total of 56 people were under supervised quarantine at the Mercure in Alice Springs at midday on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Deputy Chief Health Officer Dianne Stephens inspect a single person’s room at a press conference at the Howard Springs quarantine facility, as the NT borders are reopened to interstate visitors. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Anyone travelling into the Territory from the COVID-19 hotspots of Victoria, NSW’s Eurobodalla Shire or the 31 local government areas in greater metropolitan Sydney has to go into mandatory quarantine at a cost of $2500 per person.

Meanwhile, Australia recorded its worst day of coronavirus since the pandemic began, with 502 new cases confirmed nationwide.

Of those 484 were in Victoria, 16 in NSW, one in Queensland and one in South Australia.

Victoria recorded two more deaths — both men in their 90s living in aged care, bringing the state’s COVID-19 death toll to 44.

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Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said there were about 3500 people currently infected with coronavirus in Australia, and 214 in hospital.

”We reported only two cases on June 9, less than six weeks ago, and this shows how quickly outbreaks can occur and spread,” Mr Kidd said.