Coronavirus: Visits to remote regions banned for community safety

Indigenous communities across northern and inland Australia are moving to protect themselves by restricting contact with the outside world.

Aboriginal communities across northern and inland Australia are moving to protect themselves from the coronavirus by restricting contact with the outside world.

The Northern Territory on Monday announced a ban on all non-essential visits to about 70 ­remote settlements, endorsed by the major Aboriginal land councils. It comes as leaders in parts of Western Australia’s Kimberley ­region prepare to isolate their communities for several weeks and move frail relatives to distant outstations.

Several Queensland state ­departments have already suspended bush travel, with Aboriginal community heads calling for a lockout of all but essential service providers.

South Australia’s Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands announced strict entry rules ­earlier this month with the support of Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt.

However, doubts are emerging about whether indigenous people will respect movement restrictions, and if they could be attracted to towns by stimulus handouts.

Experts think indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because they suffer higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and rheumatic heart disease. Research after the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic showed indigenous people were more than eight times more likely to be hospitalised.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner assured remote Territorians that banning non-essential travel did not mean leaving them to fend for themselves. “Everything you need to be healthy and safe, you will have,” he said.

“The people that you need to be there will be there. But the health advice to us is also clear: you are safest in your home communities.

“To protect you, we are keeping non-essential people away from you. If you don’t need to travel out of your community, then don’t. Just like the rest of us, you are safer in your home community.”

The dirt road to the West Australian town of Balgo will be closed on Sunday for at least five weeks after Wirrimanu Council members decided it was the only way to keep people safe. Should COVID-19 still threaten their community, they plan to move elders even further into the bush.

WA Chief Health Officer ­Andrew Robertson said discussions were under way with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and St John Ambulance about transport from remote areas.

“It’s obviously going to place a strain on some budgets, but these are unusual circumstances,” he said. “We expect that mild cases could be managed at home.”

Lockhart River Mayor Wayne Butcher said it was now “too dangerous” to allow unrestricted movement into the Cape York ­indigenous community.

Additional reporting: Michael McKenna