More flights from Adelaide have arrived in Alice Springs today, despite quarantine facilities being already full
MORE travellers from Adelaide have arrived in Alice Springs this afternoon, but hotel quarantine facilities are already full.
Northern Territory
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- Alice Springs quarantine facilities over capacity after South Australians arrival surge
- NT reduces South Australian hot spot classification to Adelaide and 20 surrounding local council areas
UPDATE 2.30PM BOTH flights carrying passengers from Adelaide to Alice Springs today have landed.
Due to social distancing measures, passengers disembarking the first flight were forced to wait in line for about 20 minutes while outbound passengers on another flight completed boarding.
Members of Alice Springs airport Border Control Unit then greeted the passengers at desks, guarded behind plexiglass shields.
A tour guide from Uluru Segway Tours, Nick, who did not want to provide his surname, was waiting to pick up a colleague who had travelled up from regional Victoria, transiting through Adelaide.
“Cops told me it could be a bit of a wait. Though maybe it won’t actually be too bad,” Nick said, gesturing to the only 30 or so travellers waiting to be processed.
His colleague Bree, who did not want to provide her surname, proceeded through border control without hassle.
She said she was happy with the way the various health authorities and police had handled the situation throughout her trip.
“We had a temperature check in Melbourne, a police escort in Adelaide along with a designated toilet stop. Honestly, I didn’t mind it at all,” she said.
Bree said there had been some red tape involved in getting all the appropriate border passes together at such short notice.
“But it was fine in the end. Someone got back to me straight away and sorted it all out,” she said.
Alice Springs local Jamie, who did not want to provide his surname, arrived on the second flight from Adelaide after visiting Brisbane for work.
Like Bree, he was also just transiting through Adelaide.
“Monday morning, when we heard news of the hard border closure, it was quite confusing. But I managed to find out all the information I needed (via the COVID website),” he said.
Jamie’s wife, who is currently in supervised quarantine after returning from a hotspot, wasn’t quite so lucky though.
“She found they didn’t get any information early on. They put her on a bus and didn’t tell her where she was going,” he said.
“It was quite daunting. It was a bit scary.”
Overall, however, Jamie said he had been happy with the government response.
“The rules are there for a reason. I think the NT government has done a good job,” he said.
EARLIER: TWO flights from Adelaide are due to touch down in Alice Springs this afternoon.
Both flights are scheduled to arrive within half an hour of each other, from 2pm.
The NT today rolled back its hot spot declaration zone in South Australia to only include Adelaide and its surrounding suburbs.
Several flights from Adelaide have arrived in Alice Springs since Monday.
It’s understood the Alice Springs COVID-19 response team and quarantine infrastructure are under enormous pressure following the influx of South Australian arrivals, and the hotel quarantine facilities in Alice Springs are now over capacity after a plane transporting travellers from Alice Springs to Darwin had to be grounded after an incident with a bird.
Daniel.Wood@news.com.au
Jasmine.Burke@news.com.au
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