Vaccinated Territorians will be allowed to home quarantine by December

Some Territorians will be allowed to home quarantine in just a number of weeks, which could mean you’ll get to see your family at Christmas

UPDATE: Double-vaccinated Territorians who quarantine at home will not be charged a fee for the experience.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner confirmed in the press conference the government was looking at a “no fee situation for double-vaxxed people” in the home situation.

He also said if there was some reason why a double-vaccinated person who qualified for home quarantine but couldn’t quarantine at home, their stay at Howard Springs would likely be free.

“That’s what we’re looking at doing,” Mr Gunner said. “There has to be an advantage to being double-dose.

“I think that’s a pretty significant financial advantage of being double-dosed so it’s not just about being able to quarantine at home, it’s not carrying the cost either.”

EARLIER UPDATE: TERRITORIANS should be able to quarantine at home if they choose to travel interstate for Christmas.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said once the Territory reached 80 per cent double dose vaccinated, the Territory would be able to “make a change in our quarantine arrangement that is friendly to Territorians”.

“(It) will allow them to make decisions that I know are critical around Christmas time,” he said.

EARLIER: DOUBLE-vaccinated Territorians will be allowed to home-quarantine from December.

In a press conference, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said we could “return to home quarantine because of mass vaccination”.

“So, in December, fully vaccinated travelers from hotspots can undertake the home quarantine in the Territory,” he said.

“We ended home quarantine and enforced supervised quarantine last year, when the risk of Covid was high and nobody was vaccinated.

“Now we can return to home quarantine because of mass vaccination.”

Mr Gunner said the next steps would likely be reducing the 14 day home quarantine period but has not set a date on that yet.

“The idea that a double dosed person has to be kept at Howard Springs is over the top,” he said.

It comes as the Chief Minister renewed a push for Territorians to get vaccinated, announcing mandatory vaccines for anyone who comes into contact with other people in their work, including hairdressers, builders, retail workers and nurses.

“Covid-19 will hit the Territory,” Mr Gunner said.

“At some stage, it will spread here.

“We’ve held it off for more than 18 months, but we cannot hold it back forever, because we are not keeping up borders closed forever.

“Covid-19 will be with us for years, and we will need to shift to living with it.

“That means being vaccinated against it, to reduce the risk of infection, reduced the risk of spread and dramatically reduce the risk of serious illness or death.”

MORE TO COME

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Originally published as Vaccinated Territorians will be allowed to home quarantine by December