Heading into the Territory again
18 July 2020
Caravanners heading north across the railway overpass this afternoon, with the West MacDonnells on the horizon. Photo ERWIN CHLANDA.
Police say they processed more than 2500 people crossing the borders yesterday to 5am today.
The vast majority of travellers arrived by road from South Australia at Kulgera (1041), with almost 800 arriving from Queensland on the Barkly Highway and 277 on the Victoria Highway from Western Australia, says a media release.
Robinson River at the Queensland border was the busiest of the remote border checkpoints, with 60 people entering the NT by the Savannah Way.
Darwin Airport saw 344 arrivals yesterday from Perth, Cairns, Melbourne and Brisbane. 53 passengers aboard the flight from Melbourne have entered mandatory quarantine at Howard Springs.
Of the total number of arrivals by road and air, 65 people have entered mandatory supervised quarantine in Howard Springs and Alice Springs.
Police issued two quarantine infringement notices yesterday to two women (aged 28 and 44) undertaking self-quarantine in Alice Springs.
They were not at home during a routine check on July 16 and were unable to provide a lawful excuse for their absence.
“Self-quarantine ended yesterday for those who have not travelled from overseas or from a declared hotspot,” Incident Controller Shaun Gill is quoted in the release.
“People from a declared hotspot who entered self-quarantine before July 17 are required to complete the full 14 days. Breaking quarantine isn’t worth the risk to public health – and ask yourselves if that carton of milk you need or if that cup of coffee you are desperate for is really worth a $5,000 fine.”
The infringement penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer Directions issued under section 56 of the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011 is $5,056 for an individual and $25,280 for a business.
NT Police and Environmental Health Officers continue to undertake compliance activities, says the release. 28,013 compliance checks have now been completed and 143 fines issued.
UPDATE July 19:
Just over 1500 people crossing the border in the 24 hours to 5am Sunday, police reports.
Of those, 14 have been directed into mandatory supervised quarantine.
The heaviest traffic continues to be on the Stuart Highway, with 730 arrivals by road from South Australia processed at the Kulgera border check point.
Fewer than 200 arrived in the NT by air.
No quarantine infringement notices were issued yesterday but police continue to undertake compliance activities. 28,170 compliance checks have now been completed and 143 fines issued.
UPDATE July 20
Police report 1025 people entering the NT in the 24 hours to 5:00am on July 20.
Of those, 113 have been directed into mandatory supervised quarantine, including 110 who arrived by air.
Since the borders opened on Friday 17 July, more than 5000 people have entered the Territory and 143 people have been directed to enter mandatory supervised quarantine.
Approximately 1000 people who arrived in the NT before 17 July from declared hotspots remain in home self-quarantine. There have been no reported infringements for two days.
NT Police and Environmental Health Officers continue to undertake compliance activities.
Best stock up on toilet paper before the rush on it, when the cases start up.
It would be interesting to know what the plan is if Alice Springs starts getting cases.
Would suburbs be locked down? Or the town?
What if the virus got into a community? Would the community be locked down to prevent people fleeing the virus and spreading it further?
It will be able to move into the communities now. So many are able for to come to the Territory. Going to be a sad day for the Indigenous the Territorians have worked so hard to protect.