NTFL players among cohort of new arrivals at Howard Springs told their exemptions were revoked

The growing cohort of new arrivals to the Territory whose exemptions have been mysteriously revoked includes players in the NTFL, the NT News can reveal.

NORTHERN Territory Football League (NTFL) players are among the growing cohort of new arrivals at the Howard Springs quarantine facility told their exemptions had been revoked, the NT News can reveal.

A spokesman for AFLNT confirmed it was aware of “the current situation around capacity” at the Top End’s quarantine facility and the potential ramifications it could have for the league.

“Some NTFL clubs may be having trouble getting players into the facility,” the spokesman said.

“At this stage it is uncertain how this may impact our NTFL clubs and the upcoming season.

“It is (also) uncertain how many players will be affected.

The spokesman said the health and safety of the community remained the “highest priority” and AFLNT would continue working closely with the NT government.

At least six people quarantining at the Howard Springs facility have been informed their exemptions have been revoked. Picture: Glenn Campbell

In the last 24 hours, the NT News has been made aware of six individuals told by authorities to immediately book a flight to leave the quarantine facility or face a $5,000 fine.

A woman relocating from regional Victoria told the NT News on Thursday she was informed by police her exemption had been revoked and she was required to book the next flight out of the Territory.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she had a lease and was already paying rent on an NT house for her and an infant in her care. “It’s inhumane,” she said. “The police came around and said ‘you need to exit’. I said ‘I can’t exit now, I’ve got a little baby – what am I going to do?’. They said ‘it’s not our problem’.” The woman said she had nowhere to go and was confused why authorities had flip-flopped on her exemption. “They haven’t really told me anything else – they just said that it’s been revoked and that’s it,” she said. “I was really upset about it.”

The woman said she was not being looked after in the facility. “It’s just disgusting,” she said. They treat you so badly here.”

An NT Health spokesperson said there were several reasons an exemption could be revoked.

“NT Health does not provide detail on specific cases, however exemptions can be revoked at the discretion of the Chief Health Officer (CHO) for a range of reasons,” he said.

“NT Health closely monitors the capacity at the Centre for National Resilience and the Todd Facility.

“We have a range of strategies in place to ensure service delivery continues safely during periods of high demand.”