CLP CALLS FOR LOCK-INS
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THE Opposition will call for a broad lock-in of Covid-hit remote communities.
The Sunday Territorian can reveal the CLP will make a push for all communities in the so-called “biosecurity zones” to have their movement limited.
A record number of Covid cases were recorded in the NT, with more recorded in the Territory in one day than in the state of South Australia.
There were 1383 cases of Covid-19 reported in the Territory on Saturday.
There were 170 people in hospital of whom 21 were requiring oxygen.
Two patients were in intensive care.
Saturday’s total was the highest single daily figure yet recorded in the Northern Territory.
Give health authorities the chance
Steve Edgington (right)
These are difficult times
Joe Martin-Jard (below)
THE Opposition will call for a broad lock-in of Covid-ravaged remote communities.
The Sunday Territorian can reveal the CLP will make a push for all communities in the so-called “biosecurity zones” to have their movement limited.
The Northern Land Council has indicated it would support such a proposal, saying a lack of rapid antigen tests and high movement between remote communities was seeing the virus seeded across the NT.
It comes as the Territory’s Omicron wave continues to trend upward.
The federal government in recent weeks designated the East Arnhem, West Arnhem, Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly, West Daly, Central Desert, Barkly, Macdonnell and Tiwi Islands regions as “biosecurity zones”.
The declarations, which came amid growing Covid-19 outbreaks in communities, were implemented to limit the movement of people between different regions.
But no measures exist to prevent travel between different communities within the same biosecurity zone.
CLP Aboriginal affairs spokesman Steve Edgington said an immediate lock-in across these zones would “give health authorities the chance to travel to individual communities” to help roll out a major vaccination drive.
“We are calling on the Gunner government to implement a fortnight of lockins for communities inside the current biosecurity boundaries, to stop movement between communities within these zones,” Mr Edgington said.
He criticised the NT government for not having done more in recent weeks to bolster vaccination rates in some communities.
“The biosecurity zones have now been in place since February 2,” he said. “The Gunner government has wasted an opportunity to send in health teams to educate and vaccinate vulnerable Territorians while they are confined to the biosecurity boundaries.”
Northern Land Council chief executive Joe MartinJard said his organisation would be “broadly supportive of that”.
“What we’re hearing from people who live in these communities is that there’s still too much movement between communities,” Mr MartinJard said.
“People are not able to get rapid antigen tests prior to moving.”
Mr Martin-Jard said he wanted to see vaccination efforts being stepped up by the NT government, saying there was “overwhelming evidence” the jab was saving lives.
“We would’ve liked to have seen (more done), but we realise these are difficult times.”
There was a record-breaking 1383 cases of Covid-19 reported in the Territory on Saturday.
There were 170 people in hospital of whom 21 were requiring oxygen.
Two patients were in intensive care. Saturday’s total was the highest daily figure ever recorded in the Northern Territory.
The NT’s increasing caseload comes despite outbreaks in other Australian states and territories having declined in recent weeks.