One case recorded on Thursday, mine worker’s fateful run to get cigarettes

One new case of Covid-19 was recorded on Thursday, and a new public exposure site declared after a mine worker in quarantine lied about his movements to authorities.

A MINE worker who has contracted Covid-19 stopped at a Stuart Park corner store to buy cigarettes, while on his way to quarantine at Howard Springs.

The man, aged in his 50s, went to the Corner Store Friendly Grocer in Stuart Park between 12.18pm and 12.35pm on Sunday after being told on Saturday to stay at home.

At 1pm Sunday Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced the Greater Darwin area would go into lockdown.

The man, who was a high-risk close contact of patient zero from the Tanami Desert mine, was under stay-at-home orders when he made the breach.

The man previously attended the store on Friday, between 3.20pm and 3.30pm, making it a casual contact site and the Buff Club until 8pm that night, which is now a close contact sight.

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Anyone in the store between those times should self-isolate until they get a negative test.

“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,” Mr Gunner said.

“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.”

Store owner Rubin Poulouse said the situation was “a bit stressful”, with staff including himself forced to isolate and get tested.

“It’s a bit disappointing with how things have turned out,” he said. “We’d been listed as a casual site on Friday and we had staff isolating and being smart. Now we’ve got other staff who were exposed on Sunday, in this instance. So it’s a bit stressful, when multiple staff are out.”

Chief Minister Michael Gunner, alongside CHO Dr Hugh Heggie and Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker give the gathered press an update on the Covid-19 situation in the Northern Territory. Picture: Che Chorley

Mr Poulouse said there were a few people at the store during the man’s visit, but that the mine worker was wearing a mask.

Separately, only one new case linked to the Tanami Desert mine worker was identified on Thursday.

The worker, who was a close contact of patient zero, has become the eighth Covid-19 case diagnosed in the NT with links to the outbreak.

The man has been at the Howard Springs quarantine facility since Saturday, when he was identified as a high-risk close contact of the first case.

He initially returned a negative result but tested positive overnight on Wednesday.

Mr Gunner said he hoped to update the public early Friday morning on when the lockdown would be lifted.

“We do still need to be cautious for the remainder of the replication cycle from when the first case was detected,” Mr Gunner said.

“So I do think there’ll be some rules and restrictions in place after the lockdown.”

Masks have been flagged as a possible requirement for the remainder of the replication cycle if the lockdown is lifted.

In Darwin, 3500 Covid-19 tests were administered on Wednesday – more than triple the average daily rate.

On Wednesday, people waiting to be tested in the Top End queued for hours at the Marrara drive through facility.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker urged people to check booking spaces at the Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Covid-19 testing clinics, as there were no delays there.

The NLC announced late on Thursday that Cahills Crossing would be closed from sunrise on Friday after Jabiru woman breached her stay-at-home order.