EDITORIAL: We can’t risk letting a Covid-19 case cross

Debate rages over how our road borders are being monitored, but we need to remember what the consequences are if the system fails us.

AS we’ve seen far too many times from our neighbouring states, just one chink in the armour can cause an outbreak.

Just ask Victorians, who are locked down in their homes for another week thanks to a Covid-19 case which came from South Australian hotel quarantine.

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Yet, through all of that, it’s remarkable that the only thing monitoring our road borders are number plate recognition cameras.

Not a single officer has been deployed to the border for arrival declaration forms since last year.

NT border patrol on 24 March 2020. Photo: EMMA MURRAY

That’s in stark contrast to the Armada of officers at the Territory’s airports

While police resources are finite, there are other ways the Territory could check arrivals.

The CLP’s desire for public health officers has merit, but needs to be weighed against its cost and practicality. The government insist this would still require a police presence.

In the meantime, we’d better hope travellers from interstate are being truthful as to their prior whereabouts.

We had also better hope that the number plate recognition software is up to the task.

The NT government insists very few people from interstate hot spots have crossed into the Territory.

We hope this is the case, because all it takes is one faulty camera or missed vehicle at the wrong time, and we’re back to square one.

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