NT records 54 new cases, 21 under investigation including new cases in Alice Springs
The Northern Territory has recorded 54 new Covid-19 cases, including 21 cases still under investigation by authorities trying to identify the source.
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UPDATE, JANUARY 01: CASES stayed up in the Northern Territory on New Year’s Day with 54 new Covid-19 cases recorded while a ward at Royal Darwin Hospital has been put into lockdown.
It was another day of heightened cases in the NT, coming 24 hours after Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced an indefinite mask mandate for indoor premises as of 6pm on Friday.
Of the new cases reported on Saturday, six were the result of community transmission, 18 were interstate arrivals, nine were close contacts of previous cases and 21 were still under investigation.
Health Minister Natasha Fyles confirmed that testing centres would remain open over the public holidays.
“I thank everyone that has come forward to be tested and our testing centres will remain open throughout the public holidays,” Ms Fyles said.
“It’s very important; there is Covid in the community, and people should be very conscious of their personal symptoms.
“They should also be conscious to check those exposure sites on the Secure NT website.”
Of the six cases of community transmission, five are in Darwin and one is in Katherine.
The interstate travellers include two miners from the Granites Gold Mine in the Tanami and one miner from the Gemco mine on Groote Eylandt.
There were also two cases in Nhulunbuy who arrived separately on December 29.
Three of the cases requiring further investigation of the source were tested at the Alice Springs drive through facility.
One of the new Darwin cases has been confirmed as a resident in the Bagot community. It marks the first case in an Aboriginal community in Darwin.
Ms Fyles said that due to cases and close contacts at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), one of the wards has been put into a lockdown, but she insisted the hospital was still fully operational.
“One of the wards at the hospital has been impacted and has been put into lockdown. It hasn’t been shut down,” Ms Fyles said.
“By putting a ward into a lockdown, we’re minimising any contact with other staff members within the hospital facility. Then we can ascertain exactly who may be affected or who may be a close contact.
“RDH is still fully operational and it’s important to remember hospitals are used to dealing with infection control on a daily basis.”
On Saturday, there were 21 people with Covid-19 in hospital, but only two are classified as acute hospital admissions and no Covid-19 patients were in ICU.
As more staff risk becoming exposed to the virus, Ms Fyles revealed that from January 5 RDH staff will need to return a negative Rapid Antigen Test before starting a shift at the hospital.
“The (RDH) leadership is enacting some changes going forward, just acknowledging that there is community transmission of Covid and taking those extra steps to protect the community,” she said.
“These are steps that the (RDH) leadership believe will provide that balance in allowing health services to continue but to protect from the spread of Covid.”
UPDATE, DECEMBER 31 6.10PM: THE Northern Territory has become the latest jurisdiction in Australia to implement a mask mandate, as Covid-19 cases doubled in one day.
On Friday, Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced the indefinite mandate for indoor premises from 6pm on December 31.
Anyone who enters an indoor premises, excluding households, must wear a mask when they cannot maintain a 1.5m distance with others.
It includes pubs, clubs, cafes, restaurants, shopping centres, hairdressers, public transport, rideshares and indoor boat cruises. It does not apply to venues with outdoor spaces, such as beer gardens.
It doesn’t apply to children under 12.
“If you’re outdoors, we’re not mandating that you wear a mask but we are highly recommending that you wear one if you can’t socially distance,” Mr Gunner said.
“I believe it’s the lowest impact thing we can do. It keeps the Territory open and it will be effectively reducing the spread.”
Chief health officer Hugh Heggie described the approach as “simple but it’s serious”.
“We’ve all got to have a part in our role in not spreading the virus to others,” Dr Heggie said.
“The basic principle is we all have a responsibility to look around us, in terms of our proximity, particularly people that we don’t know.”
Police Commissioner and Territory Controller Jamie Chalker said everyone had to take responsibility for complying with the mandate.
“It is not the responsibility for the staff of the venue you’re going to make sure you wear a mask. That’s your responsibility,” he said.
“If you show any aggression, if you’re inappropriate in your behaviour in that place, if you’re asked simply to put your mask on before you enter, then that venue has a green light to call us and we will come and deal with that particular individual. It’s a $5024 fine.”
Sixty cases of Covid-19 were reported on Friday: 16 interstate arrivals, 18 close contacts of previous cases, 11 cases of community transmission and 15 cases under investigation. Ten of the community transmission cases are in Darwin and one is in Katherine.
Four cases are linked to the NT’s regional outbreak, bringing the total to 167.
All four were from Tennant Creek. One was infectious in the community while another went to Elliott, 254km from Tennant Creek with contact tracing underway.
There are 24 people currently admitted into hospitals, none in intensive care.
Mr Gunner said the Territory would adopt national cabinet’s reclassification of close contacts.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced close contacts would be reclassified to someone who has been in a household or household-like setting, such as aged care, for more than four hours with a confirmed case.
“A positive case must isolate for seven days and will need a negative PCR from day six to exit that isolation. A positive result will trigger another seven days,” Mr Gunner said.
“A symptomatic close contact must isolate for seven days, do a PCR test in the first three days and a RAT test on day six.
“An asymptomatic close contact must isolate for seven days, do a RAT test in the first three days and a RAT test on day six.
“If you are unvaccinated, it is 14 days not seven and there’s an additional PCR day 12 test for positive cases and the RAT test for close contacts.”
Vaccinated and unvaccinated close contacts can quarantine at home, with the measures implemented immediately.
Mr Gunner added that as part of the government’s rapid response, check-in data from confirmed positive cases would be used to send a text message alert to those who checked-in at identified exposure sites.
“The text message will be generic,” Mr Gunner said.
“It will tell you that you have visited an exposure site and then you need to monitor for symptoms and test if symptomatic.
“It will not be personalised. It will not tell you which exposure site you visited.”
Mr Gunner said the message would be generic.
UPDATE DECEMBER 31: AN INDOOR mask mandate will be introduced across the Northern Territory as 60 new Covid-19 cases were recorded, breaking the NT’s highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.
The Territory-wide indoor mask mandate will be introduced from Friday 6pm, December 31, 2021.
As Territorians head into New Year’s Eve celebrations, there were:
– 16 cases in interstate arrivals
– 18 cases confirmed as being close contacts of previous cases
– 11 cases as a result of community transmission, 10 of which in the Darwin area and one in Katherine
– 15 cases still under investigation
Heading up the Covid-19 presser for the first time in weeks, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said there had been a “worrying trend” in community transmission in recent days.
“We had one case of new transmission on Wednesday, four cases of community transmission yesterday we have at least 11 cases of community transmission today,” he said.
“There are also 15 cases today whose status is still to be determined.
“I know the timing of the mandate is not ideal coming into New Year’s Eve, but the fact is tonight will be a social one and a night where people gather in large numbers.”
No end date to the mandate was provided.
Mr Gunner also encouraged Territorians to wear a mask when unable to socially distance while outdoors.
Mr Gunner said health authorities are working under the assumption that all new cases from the regional cluster were the Delta variant and all those from interstate arrivals were the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
There are 24 people in NT hospitals with Covid-19. Of these, none are in ICU and five are at Royal Darwin Hospital receiving care for symptoms, Mr Gunner said. He said four of the patients were receiving care for mild symptoms while one was displaying moderate symptoms.
The number of Covid-19 tests administered dropped to 2,757 on Thursday, down a third on the previous day.
Mr Gunner said there were currently 536 close contacts identified, of which 471 had been contacted and directed to isolate.
MORE TO COME.
DECEMBER 30, 2.30PM: A NURSE, quarantine worker and marines are among 37 new Covid cases recorded in the last 24-hours.
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said while the increase in cases was significant, it coincided with a jump in tests.
The first cases are related to the NT’s remote cluster:
– Eight household contacts of a Katherine case reported on Christmas Day. All are in isolation.
– A woman in her 20s who is a known household contact of a Tennant Creek case.
The total number of cases related to the remote cluster are now 163.
The rest of the cases are:
– A worker at the Howard Springs quarantine centre who is a household contact of an interstate traveller. The cause of transmission is under investigation.
– A nurse at Royal Darwin Hospital, with contact tracing underway.
– Two US marine workers who travelled to Robinson Barracks from Queensland.
– A worker from the mine at Groote Eylandt who arrived in the NT on Wednesday.
– Eight interstate arrivals.
– Nine people who are household contacts of recent interstate arrivals.
– Two people tested positive who attended a birthday party in Darwin on December 23. A nine-year-old girl who tested positive on December 29 had also attended the party,
– Four cases that are still under investigation.
DECEMBER 30, 2021: RECENT Covid outbreaks have led to Darwin beauty salon owner Helen Wilkinson losing thousands of dollars after she says her business was wrongly identified as a close contact site.
The Eyelash and Beauty Darwin owner said NT Health listed her business as a close contact site before removing it soon after.
Ms Wilkinson was contacted on Monday night by a health official who said she had been in close contact at the salon with a woman in her 60s who had been diagnosed with Covid.
But it was not until she told the health staffer she owned the salon that steps were made for it to be placed on the Covid close contact list.
While quarantining at home on Tuesday, Ms Wilkinson contacted the client with Covid, who said she had been exposed at Bamboo Lounge in Stuart Park on December 21, the day after her salon appointment.
“My client was contacted by health prior to health contacting me to tell her there was a link at the restaurant that she visited the day after she visited my salon and that was where she had contracted the virus,” she said.
“So it was clear that when I brought that to the attention of health’s infectious department that they could see the mistake but still said I had to isolate until I received a negative result.
“Had I not known who the client was I would never have been able to figure this out.
“The department did not identify the person, but they did tell me the times she was in the salon so I could easily figure it out because she was in my appointment book, but any other business would not have been able to do that.”
When Ms Wilkinson contacted health to clarify the situation, the salon was removed from the Covid close contact list but she was still forced to stay at home while waiting for a negative PCR test, which arrived on Tuesday.
While the salon was open and staff were at work, she was at home waiting for the PCR test to be returned.
She estimates her losses in the thousands of dollars as a result of cancellations and then non-bookings.
Meanwhile, inside Howard Springs, a close contact of the Yulara cases was forced to stay in the facility well beyond her required quarantine period, with little to no information and results for only one of multiple Covid tests.
The woman’s mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said her double vaccinated daughter was taken to Howard Springs on December 18 and had since received the results for one test and little correspondence on when she was scheduled to leave.
Double vaccinated close contacts are only required to quarantine for seven days if they test negative.
The mother said her daughter was in significant distress from the lack of communication.
“If they’re having trouble organising transport just tell her that. If it’s for health reasons, tell her why,” she said.
The NT News sent questions to NT Health on Wednesday morning about the woman and while they would not comment on individual cases, said close contacts were advised by the Centre for Disease Control how long quarantine durations were required.
By Wednesday afternoon, arrangements were being made for her to be released.
DECEMBER 29, 2021: AN INDUSTRIAL zone will become the hub of Darwin’s Covid testing operation as a major drive-through clinic is shut down.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Natasha Fyles announced at a press conference that a Covid testing facility would open at 26 Nebo Rd, East Arm on Thursday, with the Marrara drive-through to be returned to the netball centre.
Ms Fyles said the facility would provide PCR tests and distribute free Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) for both bookings and walk-in patients.
She said the facility would be an upgrade to the current Marrara site, with nine lanes of testing, weather protection and a dedicated workforce.
But concerns have been raised over the lack of access to the site, with no public transport routes into East Arm, which is 15km east of Darwin and 9km west of Palmerston. A round-trip Uber fare from Darwin to the area will rack up a bill of $50.
Opposition health spokesman Bill Yan said it was up to the government to provide safe, accessible public transport to the new testing site.
The new centre is expected to open on Thursday, December 30 at 26 Nebo Rd.
Ms Fyles said that as Territorians learned to live with Covid, RAT kits would become commonplace in every home, along with hand sanitisers, face masks and thermometers.
“It is a good tool if you’re starting to feel unwell … it may be that you get a positive RAT test, you then need to go and get that PCR test,” she said.
Ms Fyles said Marrara and East Arm would provide free tests to anyone who requested them. “Don’t turn up with shopping bags expecting us to give you 10s and 10s of tests, but we’ll provide enough so that your family has what is needed,” she said.
It comes as 69 new Covid cases have been recorded since Christmas Eve, with 16 confirmed on Tuesday.
Ms Fyles said all interstate cases were treated as if they were an Omicron infection.
Despite concerns over the highly-infectious variant, Ms Fyles defended not publishing and updating all exposure sites.
“But in terms of our resources, we need to make sure that we are not cross linking every case with every exposure site,” she said.
“Covid is here in the Territory, there is a risk when you step outside your home or you have people come to your house, that there potentially could be an exposure to Covid-19.”
An interstate arrival has been identified as the source of a mystery Darwin Covid case.
A Darwin woman in her 60s is believed to have caught Covid from an interstate arrival at the Bamboo Lounge restaurant in Stuart Park.
The traveller has been linked to 14 other exposure sites across Darwin.
The traveller later tested positive for Covid in her day 6 test. Ms Fyles said she would not be drawn into “hypotheticals” if a PCR test would have picked up the traveller’s infection earlier.
Five new cases have been linked as household contacts in the Tennant Creek area, bringing the NT remote outbreak cluster to 151.
Four of the cases are in the Alice Springs quarantine, while the fifth case is in Tennant Creek Hospital.
Four cases are interstate arrivals, including the case who was in the community while infectious.
Five cases are close contacts of interstate arrivals and are all in isolation.
The 15th and 16th cases tested positive following being tested at the Marrara drive through. Interviews are underway. It is unknown if they are local or interstate individuals.
Social media squabble
THE Chief Minister has been accused of “blackmailing” Territorians into following his personal social media page after he published Covid alerts about the same time as official health channels and without sending out a press release.
On Monday evening, Michael Gunner published details of the latest exposure sites to his personal Facebook profile rather than sending out an official media statement.
When asked if this was appropriate, Health Minister Natasha Fyles directed questions back to the Chief Minister’s office.
“I would have expected that authorities had published that information as soon as that was available,” Ms Fyles said.
Opposition health spokesman Bill Yan said Mr Gunner must be desperate for friends to co-opt the emergency health announcements online.
“It’s not fair to blackmail locals into following the Chief Minister’s page, to get critical Covid information.”
Hospital staffing uncertain
THE NT government will not disclose how many doctors and nurses have been taken off the front lines after a positive case was detected at Royal Darwin Hospital.
A positive case, believed to be an eye clinic doctor, was confirmed on Christmas Day, forcing the hospital to enact its Covid Outbreak Plan.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Natasha Fyles said she did not know how many health staff were in isolation following the positive case.
“We were advised that the case was a low risk,” Ms Fyles said.
She said mask wearing and other public health measures had been rolled out in the hospital.
Opposition health spokesman Bill Yan said the number of close contacts connected to the hospital case should be released.
“The number of staff available to roster in our major hospitals is of critical importance at the moment.”
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