2020 On 18 March, the Northern Territory government announced an economic stimulus package of A$60 million. On 24 March 2020, the Northern Territory (NT) government introduced strict border controls, with anyone arriving from abroad or interstate being required to self-isolate for 14 days. The only exemption would be due to health and emergency services, defence and policing, flight crews and freight, and based on "compassionate grounds". NT Police Commissioner
Jamie Chalker said that the local police and government were likely to impose these measures until September. Anyone arriving in NT had to declare that they would isolate for 14 days and let the authorities know of their location during that period at the point of entry. Failure to comply with the new regulations could result in denying entry or a fine of A$62,800. Furthermore, all non-essential travel to the NT's 76 remote communities was banned. From midday on 1 May, some internal restrictions in NT were eased.
2021 On 3 February 2021, after a quarantine hotel worker at the
Grand Hyatt Melbourne, involved in the
Australian Open tennis quarantine program, was found to have COVID-19, Victoria reintroduced some rules, and delayed the imminent easing of some restrictions. On 4 February 2021 the Northern Territory responded to the Melbourne situation by declaring ten suburbs in Melbourne to be hotspots. From 3:30 pm (
Australian Central Standard Time–ACST), arrivals into NT from Melbourne, West Melbourne,
Noble Park,
Keysborough,
Springvale,
Brighton,
Wheelers Hill,
Clayton South,
Heatherton or
Moorabbin will be required to go into mandatory quarantine for 14 days. Those already in NT who have been in an any of the hotspots since 29 January will also have to self-isolate until their COVID-19 testing is negative. On 22 February, the first COVID-19 vaccinations (phase 1A) in the NT were administered to "at-risk frontline workers" using the
Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. By 7 June more than 10,000 Northern Territorians had been fully vaccinated. The NT vaccination program was extended to anyone in Darwin and
Palmerston over 16 years-of-age from 8 June. Previously, those over 16 could usually only book for the vaccine if they lived in regional parts of the NT, such as Alice Springs and
Katherine. Due to a growing
cluster in Bondi, Sydney, from 6pm (local) on 24 June, the Northern Territory declared all of Greater Sydney a hotspot. Any person entering NT from Sydney will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Granites mine outbreak On 26 June the
Granites gold mine went into lockdown after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. The mine is north-west of Alice Springs. About 750 FIFO (fly-in/fly-out) workers onsite were affected, while about 900 who left the site recently had to go into isolation, 259 in NT, but 650 went elsewhere throughout Australia. By 27 June there were 5 cases linked to the mine. On 28 June, as the mine COVID cluster in NT had grown to 7 cases, the lockdown in Darwin was extended by 72 hours to 1pm on 2 July. The fireworks for
Territory Day on 1 July were postponed. By 8 July, there were 19 cases, in NT, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, linked to the Granite's Mine outbreak.
Lockdown in August On 16 August Greater Darwin and the Katherine region went into another snap lockdown due to end at mid-day on 19 August. This followed one new COVID case who was infectious in the community for several days. He was an international arrival, coming from the U.S. to Australia and NT for legitimate work purposes, who had already quarantined in Sydney and tested negative there. The lockdown boundaries for Greater Darwin included
Dundee Beach, Palmerston, and
Wagait Beach. For Katherine boundaries were the municipality of Katherine plus
Tindal. It was reported on 19 August 2021 that NT authorities do not know how the man became infected, but raised the possibility it may have occurred while transiting through Sydney or Canberra airports, or in hotel quarantine. The lockdown was lifted as scheduled in Darwin, but in Katherine it was extended for 24 hours. Wastewater testing for COVID-19 had shown a positive result in Katherine. Some restrictions were to remain until noon on 26 August:
Lockdown and lockout in November On 4 November, the NT recorded its first case of COVID-19 community transmission, when a person who had spent time in Katherine and Greater Darwin tested positive. As a result, Katherine entered lockdown while the Greater Darwin region entered lockout. The primary infection case was traced to a person who "almost certainly" contracted the virus in Melbourne, Victoria, but failed to declare their presence in Melbourne to NT authorities when flying into Darwin. The lockdown in Katherine transitioned into a lockout on 7 November, On 15 November, the NT recorded two new cases, one in Katherine and one in
Robinson River, Northern Territory, a remote community about 800 kilometres east of Katherine. Both Greater Katherine and Robinson River and its surrounding homelands entered lockdown. The outbreak was later confirmed to be linked to the cluster in Katherine and Darwin earlier in the month. On 20 November, nine positive cases were recorded in
Binjari, a community on the outskirts of Katherine; both Binjari and the neighbouring community of Rockhole were placed into "hard lockdown". On 27 November, Greater Katherine including Rockhole moved into a lockout; Binjari remained on lockdown. Robinson River also exited lockdown, while
Lajamanu, a community about 560 km south-west of Katherine, entered lockdown on the night of 27 November, after COVID-19 fragments were found in its wastewater. On 29 November, a positive case of the
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was recorded at the
Howard Springs quarantine facility, from a return traveller who arrived at Darwin from Johannesburg, South Africa on 25 November.
December On 1 December, Lajamanu's lockdown was downgraded to a lockout, and Robinson River moved out of lockout. On 2 December, a positive case was recorded at Lajamanu. Binjari's hard lockdown was moved to a standard lockdown. On 3 December, the NT recorded its first COVID-19 death, a 78-year-old woman from Binjari. The woman was not vaccinated, and died in
Royal Darwin Hospital. On 17 December,
Tennant Creek entered lockdown after four cases were recorded. On 19 December,
Ali Curung entered lockdown after one case was found. On 31 December, after a territory daily record of 30 new cases, an indoor mask mandate across the territory was introduced from 6pm. New cases were found in Darwin, Katherine, and Tennant Creek. == 2022 ==