Vaccination rates must be ‘much higher’ for border policy to change: Chief Minister

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has ruled out even considering changes to the NT’s strict interstate border and quarantine policies until the vaccination rate is ‘much higher’.

• Territory takes the lead in nation’s vaccine race

THERE’S still no certainty of when and how the Northern Territory will give up snap border closures to interstate hot spots, despite it leading in the vaccine race.

NT government figures released by the Chief Minister on Monday show the NT leading the pack, with 8.3 per cent of our population now fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

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According to the federal government, 65,350 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the Territory.

That far outstrips the sluggish rollout in Victoria and Queensland, where fully vaccinated adults sit at 2.5 and 2.6 per cent of their respective populations.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner listens to Vaccine roll out lead Michelle McKay as she gives the media an update on the vaccine roll out in the Northern Territory. Photograph: Che Chorley

Despite the strong performance, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said there was still no road map to what high rates of vaccination would mean for the Territory.

“While we are leading the national efforts on vaccination we are still a long way off where we need to be to even discuss vaccine take-up targets that would allow us to change our policies on things like hot spots and borders,” Mr Gunner said.

“Our focus right now is vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.”

“We must get our rate of full vaccination much higher before we can look at targets.”

Opposition health spokesman Bill Yan said incentives could however help drive uptake of the vaccine.

“I know for a lot of people from the Territory, Bali is their second home,” Mr Yan said.

“A lot of people would like to travel, and if we could prove the vaccine is effective, Territory people could go to Bali.”

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