Northern Territory Police are reminding travellers of the requirement to complete Border Entry Forms when entering the NT.
Members patrolling the Central Arnhem Highway near Maranboy yesterday located a man walking along the road. On stopping to speak with the man, he disclosed that he had entered the NT on foot somewhere near Borroloola with the intention of exploring Arnhem Land.
Police issued him an infringement for failing to complete a border entry form, and assisted him to complete the necessary paperwork before giving him a lift to Katherine at his request.
In a second incident, police located a man who had entered the NT by road near Alpurrurulam, who had also failed to lodge a Border Entry Form. He too was issued an infringement, and police advised his employer to ensure all staff were aware of the requirement to complete the forms on entry to the NT.
Neither man had travelled from a declared hotspot.
Incident Controller Sachin Sharma said, "All arrivals into the NT, regardless of the means of entry or point of origin, are required to lodge a Border Entry Form. As these incidents show, not everyone who enters the Territory is aware or compliant with the rules.
'If you are planning to come to the NT, it is imperative that you check for restrictions and requirements by visiting coronavirus.nt.gov.au before you travel. The Emergency Operation Centre Investigation Cell, Operation Crown Officers and the Officers from the Environmental Health will continue to conduct compliance investigations with zero tolerance approach"
The penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer Directions issued under section 56 of the Public and Environment Health Act 2011 is $5024 for an individual (32 penalty units) and $25,120 for a business (160 penalty units).
