Residents of Alice Springs and nearby Aboriginal communities told to stay home for the next three days following the spread of the Delta variant.
A man working in a Northern Territory mine tested positive after walking through the airport and landing in South Australia.
Despite no new locally acquired cases, the states Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, said the 72-hour lock down was an “extreme precautionary measure“.
Gunner believes that while the man spent an “extended period of time” at the airport, he was most likely uninfectious at the time.
Despite this, he has refused to take any risks on the matter, as the Delta variant continues to spread like wildfire across the country.
Along with the latest Sydney cluster, reports state that the variant has touched down in south-east Queensland and surrounding areas of Townsville, Perth, Peel and greater Darwin.
Residents of these areas have closed their doors to the virus amidst lockdown.
Recently, a 24-year-old Sydney student nurse has tested positive after working while infections, from 24-28 June. The nurse was not vaccinated prior to infection.
Across the four day period, she worked at Fairfield hospital and at the Royal North Shore hospital. During this time, she came into contact with over 100 staff and patients. At this stage, the tests of these close contacts have been returned as negative.
She is currently in isolation.
As an Mparntwenye, I never thought I’d see the day when Alice Springs is in lockdown, but Melbourne is not.
— Celeste Liddle (@Utopiana) June 30, 2021
Michael Gunner has ensured that lockdown in Alice Springs applies to everyone inside the town, including “town camps“.
Additionally, he assured residents to stay calm, promising to provide them with the relevant essentials.
“You will get your food. You will get your medicine.”
Despite Gunner’s advice, supermarket shelves in Alice Springs have been exhausted before the lockdown.
In a recent announcement, Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie, addressed the Indigenous people of Alice Springs in their language, saying: “Please, stay where you are, there will be food, there will be assistance…”
Powerful moment just then and a first for this pandemic with NT Chf Health Officer making an announcement in indigenous language with concerns for Alice Springs community. pic.twitter.com/jZKucFVBVK
— Joe O’Brien (@JoeABCNews) June 30, 2021
Gunner stressed the importance of a strict lockdown due to the highly contagious nature of the Delta variant and the “vulnerability of the local population“.
He vowed to take “no risk” on the matter.
