Brisbane and Moreton Bay still hot spots for NT for foreseeable future
Would-be travellers from areas of southeast Queensland are still locked out of the Territory as contact sites for the outbreak climb.
Northern Territory
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DOZENS of travellers from the southeast Queensland region remain in Howard Springs, while over 1.5 million remain shut-out of the Territory entirely.
That’s despite the state’s leader claiming the outbreak has largely come under control.
The southeast Queensland council areas of Brisbane and Moreton Bay, with 1.1 million and 425,000 people respectively, remain hot spots according to the NT government.
Queensland authorities reported one new locally acquired case of Covid-19 on Wednesday.
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Despite Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk praising health authorities’ efforts to contain the outbreak as “great news”, there’s still no word on when NT chief health officer Dr Hugh Heggie will lift border restrictions.
The government said on Wednesday 83 Queensland residents were currently in 14 days quarantine at Howard Springs.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the hot spots were being reviewed daily, but made no comment on whether a decision was imminent.
“Ultimately the decision to lift or implement a hotspot is based on advice from our CHO who looks at the extent of community transmission and risks to the Territory’s community through COVID-19 monitoring and data,” Mr Gunner said.
The Chief Minister however acknowledged the situation was impacting local operators, with domestic tourists forced to cancel bookings to the Territory.
“Industries right across the board have felt the impact of lockdowns around the country – especially our tourism operators,” Mr Gunner said.
“I know people are hurting, but we needed to lock down and trap the virus quickly, so we could re-open at the soonest possible time. We are constantly talking to the sector and looking at ways we can support the industry during these challenging times.”
All of Greater Sydney’s five million residents also remain declared NT hot spots, as NSW health authorities battle an outbreak of the Delta strain.
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