Remote Northern Territory communities were plunged into the NT’s harshest lockdown so far. Here’s what’s going on.
Northern Territory residents of remote Indigenous communities Binjari and nearby Rockhole are currently in a hard lockdown after nine new positive Covid-19 cases were recorded on Sunday, bringing the Territory’s cluster to 35.
These are the toughest measures used by the NT government so far, and are expected to remain in place for 14 days.
What exactly is going on?
To date, 38 close contacts from these communities have been transported to Darwin’s Quarantine camp, Howard Springs. This is also where other travellers entering the NT have been placed to complete their quarantine during the pandemic. A 78-year-old woman has also been taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital.
The other residents in these communities have been placed into a tough lockdown. They can only leave home for medical treatment, in an emergency, or if required by law.
About 20 Australian Defence Force Personnel and army trucks have been brought in to help with the transport to Howard Springs, and to bring in food parcels for residents. The NT Health COVID-19 rapid response team also sent in eight people to assist, and to help vaccinate residents who wanted the jab.
Why is this happening?
NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner told reporters on Sunday morning that the “threat to lives is extreme”.
There’s a very low vaccination rate in these areas. While the exact number hasn’t been shared, Gunner did specify at the time measures were put into place that it was below 70 per cent of the population (it’s now up to 100 per cent for first vaxx).
What are the concerns?
Concerns are being raised about the lockdown due to temperatures rising above 40 degrees, and overcrowding of the houses.
Debra Aloisi — who runs the Binjari Community Aboriginal Corporation — says locals have been left “very scared” thanks to a lack of information about their situation.
“Some of the houses are severely overcrowded, with up to 15 people living in three-bedroom homes,” she told theABC.
“A lot of the [residents] are ringing me up, saying their power has been off for days.
“Three weeks’ hard lockdown, they are going to get really, really frustrated and angry.”
While residents are reporting there’s plenty of food, they’re also saying the government hasn’t responded to their requests for power cards to be topped up, meaning they can’t run air conditioners in the high temperatures and crowded houses.
Will it stop the spread?
While the officials are hopeful that these measures were implemented quickly enough to confine the spread, Gunner did make it clear that he felt the numbers would get worse before they got better. Even sharing concerns that the entire 200 plus residents of Binjari to already be close contacts.
“These communities have very strong personal and family connections, it probably helps to think of them more as one big household rather than a lot of different households,” he said.
“For these reasons, we do expect the numbers in Binjari, and probably Rockhole, to increase and they may increase by a lot.”
While health workers on the ground have managed to increase the number of vaccinations in the area, there are still fears that the virus may already have been spread to nearby remote communities.
“What has become clear to us — based on the level of movement that’s been happening in some communities outside of Katherine — is that there is a real risk that the virus has seeded to other connected communities further away,” said Gunner.
Originally published as ‘Very scared’: What is happening in NT’s remote communities
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