The Northern Territory has recorded no new cases of COVID-19, as people in Greater Darwin and Katherine ease into their second full day of lockdown.
Key points:
- To date, 93 close contacts have been identified
- It is not yet known which variant of the virus the man has, or where he became infected
- A lockdown in Greater Darwin and Katherine is scheduled to end at midday on Thursday
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he was confident but not completely certain that the lockdowns in both areas would end at midday tomorrow, as scheduled.
He said 2,128 COVID-19 tests were carried out yesterday, all of them negative.
“At this point we are feeling good, we are confident we have caught this thing in time," he said.
"We are confident we have traced the risk and we are confident our tracing efforts have been a success.
"It's been all good news so far."
Mr Gunner said authorities were still awaiting further test results for some close contacts, as well as wastewater samples, before a final decision was made tomorrow.
Darwin's results are expected late tonight and Katherine's wastewater results are expected on Thursday morning.
ABC News: Che Chorley
)Positive case 'very early' in infection
On Monday, the NT announced a snap 72-hour lockdown after a man in his 30s travelled from Darwin to Katherine while potentially infectious.
Mr Gunner said the number of close contacts had been revised to 93, 12 of whom had since left the Northern Territory.
“All close contacts in the Territory have been contacted and isolated and all but one has been tested," he said.
“The person who hasn't been tested is actually now in a ship off the coast of the Territory in international waters."
Mr Gunner said the results from 15 close contacts were still pending, and were expected back on Wednesday afternoon.
Another 504 casual contacts have also been told to self-isolate, 411 of them in relation to exposure sites in Katherine.
Mr Gunner said all but 12 of the 504 close contacts had been contacted and confirmed to be in isolation.
ABC News: Che Chorley
)Some unknowns remain
The index case travelled from the US to the NT via Sydney and spent two weeks in quarantine in the NSW capital before transiting through Canberra to Darwin.
Although the ACT was a NT hotspot at the time, the man was allowed to travel through the airport without going into quarantine under the Territory's COVID-19 rules.
In Darwin, he presented for a COVID-19 test three days after his arrival, and returned a positive result.
Dr Heggie said genomic tests had since confirmed he had the Delta strain.
Authorities are also still investigating where the man became infected.
The NT chief health officer, Hugh Heggie, said early tests showed the man was "very early" in his infection while in the Northern Territory.
Dr Heggie said it was likely the man became infected between leaving hotel quarantine in Sydney and arriving in Darwin, but exactly how or where was still unclear.
"It's less likely but not impossible that he could have got it in hotel quarantine," he said.
"There's no evidence he could have caught it in the Territory."
Dr Heggie urged anyone with symptoms to get tested and for people to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
The lockdown in Greater Darwin and Katherine is currently scheduled to end at midday on Thursday.
Even if the lockdown is lifted, Mr Gunner said people would likely have to wear masks for another seven days.
"We are fairly confident we can lift the lockdown tomorrow at noon and transition it to being open again but with restrictions,” he said.
"Right now, it's looking pretty sweet."
But Mr Gunner said was unclear whether planned events, such as Darwin Festival, would be able to run as originally scheduled.
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2021-08-18 00:56:20Z
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