Community life
The biosecurity area restrictions in the Northern Territory (NT) were lifted on 5 June 2020.
There is no longer any requirement to quarantine for 14 days before entering a remote community. Residents can move freely between their communities, homelands, country and town.
Territorians need to continue to maintain good physical distancing and hygiene practices to protect against spreading coronavirus (COVID-19).
Any non-residents wanting to go into a remote community must still must follow all the requirements of land councils and local communities, including checking if you need a land council permit to go there.
This includes for work. For more information about changes impacting approved remote essential workers, get the AREW factsheet PDF (192.6 KB).
Read below for information about the regional requirements for visitors and workers.
Non-residents must have permission from the relevant land council to go into their communities for any reason, including work.
The Central Land Council (CLC), Northern Land Council (NLC) and Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) will continue to acknowledge Approved Remote Essential Worker (AREW) cards, issued under the biosecurity restrictions, for access to their communities until September.
If you do not have an AREW card, you must apply to the NLC, CLC or ALC for a permit to access their communities or Aboriginal land.
You should check with the relevant land council to make sure you have the right kind of permission to go into their community or Aboriginal land.
Find out more at the NLC website or CLC website.
The Restrictions of Entry for the Tiwi Islands have been lifted from 5 June 2020.
On 5 June 2020, in line with the Commonwealth Government’s decision to lift the designated Biosecurity areas in the Northern Territory, the Executive Director of Township Leasing lifted the restrictions of entry into Wurrumiyanga, Wurankuwu, Milikapiti, and Pirlangimpi.
The Tiwi Land Council has also decided to recommence granting permits. Persons wanting to access Aboriginal Land in the Tiwi Islands outside of the listed townships, and who do not meet the requirements of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, must apply for a permit from the Tiwi Land Council.
Find out more at the NLC website or CLC website.
Health advice
The safest place for people to be is on country in your home community.
We all need to keep working together to keep our community safe.
Staying well
If you are well in a remote community:
- Keep practising physical distancing – stay three steps away from people you don’t see very often.
- Wash your hands with soap and water regularly.
- Make sure you cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
- Try not to touch your eyes, mouth or nose.
- Monitor yourself for symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) and contact your health clinic if you start to feel sick.
If you are unwell
If you become sick while in a remote community, call ahead to your local health clinic if you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
In the Territory, anyone with the following symptoms can access testing for COVID-19:
- a recent, acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, shortness of breath, sore throat)
- a fever or history of fever (e.g. night sweats, chills).
If the health clinic determines that you may have COVID-19, you will be transferred to a regional centre for testing.
If your test returns a negative result, you will be returned to your community (unless you require further medical attention).
If your test returns a positive result, you will remain under the care of the NT Health in a supervised isolation facility for treatment.