Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet
The Chief Health Officer has declared the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport as a COVID-19 Hotspot for the purposes of travel to the Northern Territory from 4.00pm today, 10 February 2021.
The Chief Health Officer has also declared anyone who has travelled to the Northern Territory from:
· Sunbury since 00:01am on 5 February, and 8.59am today 10 February 2021; or
· Has been in the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport between 00:01am on 5 February and 4.00pm today 10 February 2021
must seek a COVID-19 test and undertake self-quarantine until a negative test is returned.
This is in addition to the declaration of Melbourne suburb of Sunbury as a COVID-19 Hotspot, effective 9.00am this morning.
This direction has been updated following additional clinical advice, and follows on from a cluster of cases linked to a hotel quarantine facility in Melbourne. Victoria Health Authorities have implemented a number of public health controls to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that are continuing in light of these cases.
Anyone travelling to the Northern Territory from a COVID-19 Hotspot must undertake 14 days of mandatory, supervised quarantine at the Alice Springs or Howard Springs quarantine facilities at a cost of $2,500 per person. Quarantine will be undertaken at the first urban centre you arrive at, including for transit. Those people in the air at the time the hotspot was declared will have the option to return home or enter mandatory supervised quarantine at no cost.
To arrange a test, please contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 1800 008 002 to book. You do not need to have a COVID-19 test if you only transited to or through an airport terminal. For all other enquiries phone 1800 490 484.
If you are intending to travel to the Northern Territory from a COVID-19 Hotspot you are advised to rethink your plans. If you are a Territorian intending to travel to a hotspot you are advised to rethink your plans.
The Chief Health Officer will continue to review and assess the COVID-19 situation in Victoria and will take into account COVID-19 monitoring and data collection, the extent of community transmission and risks to the NT community.
The risk of COVID-19 in our communities cannot be eliminated which is why it is important for everyone to follow all health directions.
· If you have COVID-19 symptoms, do not travel. Make sure you get tested and stay at home.
· Maintain a physical distance of 1.5 metres at all times.
· Wash your hands with soap and water and use hand sanitiser regularly.
· Do not go to work if you feel sick.
· If you have symptoms, stay away from others and get tested for COVID-19.
To stay up to date with the latest information visit www.coronavirus.nt.gov.au
Quotes attributable to Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie
"In addition to this morning's hotspot declaration I have made the decision to mandate testing for anyone who has arrived in the Northern Territory from Sunbury and anyone who has been at the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport since last Friday.
"This decision follows clinical advice I have received from today's AHPPC meeting regarding the emerging situation in Victoria.
"This has also led to the decision to treat the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport as a hotspot as the known point of infection for this emerging Victorian cluster. For the sake of travel to the Northern Territory, transit through Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport is still permitted at this time due to the infection control and public health measures in place.
"The additional decisions I have made this afternoon act as further measures to protect the health and safety of Territorians."
