Election, two AFL games make for a mammoth weekend but can we cope post COVID-19
DARWIN is headed for a mammoth weekend of events but will we cope?
Opinion
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DARWIN is headed for a mammoth weekend of events but will we cope?
The NT Election is on August 22.
The annual Dreamtime showcase between Essendon and Richmond will fall on August 22.
The Territory’s new ‘adopted’ team the Gold Coast Suns will also host a game against Carlton on the same weekend.
After COVID-19 lockdowns and being told to stay indoors, it seems overwhelming to have so many activities on the one weekend.
But then there’s the other hurdles of hotel rooms and flights.
Many people who were quick enough to get a Tourism Voucher during the first round have spent it on a staycation in Darwin with many popular accommodation places booked out between now and the end of October.
The hope is that AFL fans, who don’t come from hotspots, will flock in to Darwin to watch the footy matches and join the thousands of other locals at the match … after they’ve voted of course.
AFLNT chairman Sean Bowden said his focus would be solely on the weekend’s games, rather than the election, and brother and former Tiger Joel Bowden’s hopes of retaining his seat as member for Johnston.
“We’re about football and we’ll be addressing it straight down the line about football and looking forward to a terrific night,” he said.
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However, it’s difficult to fly in to Darwin at the moment.
At present, travellers can fly to Brisbane from Canberra and stay overnight before getting a connecting flight to Darwin.
However, there is a strict travel provision that requires the traveller to immediately self-quarantine when they land in Brisbane.
They must stay at a hotel no greater than 5km from the Brisbane airport.
The traveller must stay in their hotel room until they leave to catch their connecting Darwin flight the next day.
It’s still not clear how many people will be allowed to attend the AFL games but no doubt organisers are hoping there’ll be enough tickets to go around for locals and visitors.
At one stage last week it was also looking like the SuperSprint could be held on the weekend of August 22 after the Supercars was delayed by a week because of border closures.
But it was then revealed that this competition could go ahead midweek under lights.
Among all this excitement we need to remember Australia is still battling a coronavirus pandemic and while the NT appears to be keeping it at bay with just three active cases, we don’t want to come unstuck.
An NT Major Events spokeswoman said a “limited number” of crew members had been in a hotspot location within the last 14 days and would enter mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the Territory.
“They will continue to undergo testing once they arrive in the Territory.”
While we’ve got nearly two weeks to prepare for this bumper weekend, don’t forget Darwin Festival Homegrown has already started.
Denise Cahill is the Head of News at the NT News
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