‘Coronavirus is absolute honesty. Just tell us your movements’: Full movements of mine worker revealed

FULL MOVEMENTS: Chief Minister Michael Gunner has revealed a mine worker, who later tested positive to Covid-19, stopped at a local shop to buy cigarettes on his way to the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility despite being told to drive straight there.

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A TANAMI mine worker, who tested positive for Covid-19 this week, stopped to buy cigarettes despite being trusted by authorities to drive directly to Howard Springs to undertake quarantine.

Authorities accused the man in his 50s, who had also spent significant time at the Buff Club, of not disclosing his full movements prior to being put into quarantine.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the mine worker was under a stay-at-home order by NT Health, and scheduled to transfer to the Centre for National Resilience on Sunday, June 27 after another mine worker tested positive for the Delta strain of the virus a day earlier.

He had been instructed by authorities to drive to Howard Springs, but decided to stop at Stuart Park’s Corner Store Friendly Grocer between 12.18pm and 12.35pm to buy cigarettes.

The incident prompted Mr Gunner to declare the store a casual contact site for a second time.

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“Our team has been constantly interrogating and reviewing information, we can now advise he also spent a reasonable time in the community on Sunday, before he arrived at the Centre for National Resilience,” he said.

“At this point, the person was under a legal direction to remain isolated, he had already been scheduled for transfer to the Centre for National Resilience to continue his isolation. Before this happened, he broke the law.

“He broke the law, and he lied about it. We discovered this exposure site after continuing to interrogate and review all information including interviewing contacts and reviewing CCTV footage.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner gives an emergency press conference about a breach of health orders by a member of the community who has tested positive for Covid19. Picture: Che Chorley

“Any person who attended the site between 12:18pm and 12:35pm. On Sunday, must now isolate and contact authorities to arrange a test. Stay isolated, make contact, we will come to you with a test.”

Mr Gunner and NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said the man would continue to be “interrogated” to allow authorities to make further declarations if necessary.

“Don’t lie to authorities. Coronavirus is absolute honestly. Just tell us your movements, we can trace your movements, we can keep the community safe,” Mr Gunner said.

“Just be absolutely upfront with us.

“There are a lot of Top Enders out there who have done an absolutely magnificent job complying with this lockdown. There are a lot of businesses out there who have taken an absolutely gut-punched this week to lock down and keep Territorians safe.

“We want to be short, we want to be sharp, we want to be swift. That’s how you keep Territorians safe. The best way to do that is with absolute honest, and those people who are involved in this situation, we didn’t get honesty this week.”