Expanding the NT’s repatriation program from 5000 to 10,000 is absolutely the right call
LOCALS should be proud that their government has played a part in getting thousands of fellow Aussies back on home soil and reunited with their family and friends, and we must keep showing that compassion, writes DENISE CAHILL.
Opinion
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- Growing speculation the NT could take all overseas repatriation arrivals
- NT to double numbers of repatriated Aussies it will take
DARWIN will always hold a special place in the hearts of hundreds of Australians who were able to return to their home shores because of the NT government.
People who found themselves stranded in coronavirus-ridden countries have been able to get home on special Qantas flights.
The first they saw of their home country was – and will be with another 5000 passengers expected to disembark over the coming months – the red dirt of the Northern Territory.
Skip over the 14 days in Howard Springs … these people are now reunited with their family and friends in familiar surrounds.
Out of 2500 repatriation passengers who have landed since October 23, 53 have returned a positive coronavirus test.
That’s more than half of the 88 cases the Northern Territory has recorded in total.
But these repatriation flights must continue.
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Darwin was chosen to accept these repatriation flights because a) the NT government agreed and b) the Howard Springs quarantine facility could cope with the passenger numbers.
Every precaution is taken to keep passengers away from locals, except of course the essential workers.
Passengers undergo a coronavirus test, and must return a negative result, 48 hours before boarding the flight.
Flights land at the RAAF base, passengers are processed while on board the Qantas plane and buses take the families, couples, singles, young people and the elderly from the tarmac to Howard Springs.
Here, they live separate to domestic quarantiners and are cared for by the Centre for National Resilience.
There are currently 682 repatriated Aussies at Howard Springs.
It was announced on Friday that the program of accepting these flights was running so smoothly that the NT had agree to double its initially commitment from 5000 passengers to 10,000.
Watching these people board buses from afar sparks curiosity.
How did they get in to this situation? What family milestones or events have they missed in Australia while they were isolated overseas?
Can they afford a standard Aussie lifestyle when they finally get home? Are there loved ones they lost or are yet to meet while stranded overseas?
But the one thing they all have to bond over is the first place they landed in Australia was Darwin.
It was always expected that the Northern Territory would get COVID-19 cases from taking the repatriation passengers … AusMAT officials predicted that just before the first flight landed on October 23.
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Even last week’s Howard Springs escape attempt by a domestic arrival in quarantine isn’t enough for the Territory to re-evaluate its decision to allow the repatriation flights to land here.
Despite the influx of cases from these flights, there remains little risk to the Northern Territory community.
Locals should be proud that their government has played a part in getting thousands of fellow Aussies back on home soil and with their family and friends.
It’s a classic case of: put yourselves in their shoes.
But Territorians should still be cautious of community transmission.
It could happen here.
In the meantime strict quarantine rules and a secure … well semi secure … facility complete with expert medical staff is keeping the arrivals safe as well as the community.
Denise Cahill is the Head of News at the NT News
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