Two small Aboriginal communities on the outskirts of Katherine have been plunged into hard lockdown, with nine new cases confirmed in Binjari on Saturday night.
Key points:
- Residents can only leave their homes and yards for medical treatment or in an emergency
- The nine new cases range in age from 17 to 78
- A 78-year-old woman has been flown to hospital
A 78-year-old woman from the community 15 kilometres from Katherine was flown to Royal Darwin Hospital on Saturday night.
The NT Health Department said a 31-year-old man in the group is a close contact of a previous case, but did not say how the other cases are connected.
The hard lockdown also applies to the nearby community of Rockhole, where about 130 people live.
Under hard lockdowns residents are only able to leave their homes and yards for medical treatment or in an emergency.
Earlier on Saturday authorities said "at least one" new case was expected in Binjari, which is home to around 200 people, because of positive wastewater testing.
But the number of positive cases confirmed appears to be larger than what authorities were expecting.
In a social media post, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the hard lockdown decision was made "because of the number of cases and the mingling that has occurred in the community".
"We are doing this with as much care as possible and are working with locals like [Katherine Aboriginal organisation] Kalano," Mr Gunner wrote.
"It is critical that we limit any movement and reduce the spread of COVID in these vulnerable communities."
Mr Gunner said food and essential items would be delivered to the communities overnight.
The cases bring the total in the current outbreak to 35.
Residents in Binjari have been on edge since positive wastewater samples were detected on Friday, with some criticising the lack of COVID testing available in the community.
Binjari and Rockhole are among the Aboriginal communities around Katherine that have lower vaccination rates than the town, according to data on the NT government's website.
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2021-11-20 21:46:30Z
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