Police have charged a woman after she allegedly refused to wear a mask and spat on at Tap Bar staffer

UPDATE: A woman has been charged with assault after allegedly refusing to wear a face mask and spitting at a hospitality worker.

UPDATE: A woman has been charged with assault after allegedly refusing to wear a face mask and spitting at a hospitality worker.

NT Police said the 22-year-old was at the Tab Bar on Mitchell St in the early hours of Sunday morning without a mask.

A security guard asked her to wear one and she refused. Upon being removed from the venue, an altercation happened and the woman allegedly spat in a staff member’s face.

Police arrested the woman, and charged her with two counts of assaulting a worker (Not suffer harm), one count of contravening emergency declaration, and one count of coughing, spitting, or expectorate on/at a worker.

She was bailed to appear in Darwin Local Court on July 26, 2021.

Incident Controller Shaun Gill said the behaviour was disappointing.

“No worker deserves to be treated like this,” he said.

“Not only are we coming out of lockdown and need to be especially mindful of the Chief Health Officer Directions, spitting at someone is disgusting at any time and this incident cannot be taken lightly.”

EARLIER: A woman will face criminal charges for allegedly spitting on staff at the Tap Bar on Mitchell St.

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said staff at the Tap Bar on Saturday were trying to get the 22-year-old to be Covid compliant and wear a mask, when she allegedly spat on them.

“I don’t think I need to overstate this. That behaviour is completely and utterly disgusting,” Mr Chalker said.

“These staff livelihoods depend on people doing the right thing. I want to thank those staff who should never have been subjected to that behaviour by this individual. That individual will be facing criminal charges as well as being fined for breaching CHO directions.

“I do trust that the industry acts as one, and ensures that individual is banned from those premises for a long period of time. (Her) behaviour is completely and utterly reprehensible and there should be no one in the Northern Territory prepared to defend that behaviour.”

Mr Chalker said NT Health was being consulted over whether staff were required to get a Covid test following the incident.

The penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer Directions is $5056 for an individual and $25,280 for a business.

Mr Chalker said overall compliance behaviour across the Territory was excellent.