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COVID-19 Australian hotspots and travel restrictions

Are you a close contact?

If you are a close contact or unsure, you must immediately self quarantine and ring the NT COVID hotline on 1800 490 484 and identify yourself as a potential close contact.

Vaccination status

If a person is fully vaccinated they are still required to follow all test and quarantine directions.

A person who is required to be tested must travel directly to a suitable place of quarantine and remain in that place, except to submit to testing for COVID-19 (or in an emergency). Once tested, the person must remain isolated in the suitable place of quarantine until notified of the results of the test.

How to arrange testing

Quarantine & Testing Directions

Australian Capital Territory

The Chief Health Officer, under section 52 of the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011 (the Act), consider it necessary, appropriate or desirable to take action to alleviate the public health emergency in the Territory, declared by instrument entitled "Declaration of Public Health Emergency", dated 18 March 2020 (the public health emergency declaration), by making the following directions, effective immediately:

  • With reference to Part 6 of CHO Directions No.8 of 2021 (my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions), the locations listed at the following link as COVID-19 case locations in Australian Capital Territory (ACT) by ACT Health, as updated by ACT Health from time to time, are COVID-19 ACT exposure locations.  The relevant times and dates specified at the following link as updated by ACT Health from time to time are the public exposure periods:   ACT COVID-19 exposure locations - COVID-19.
  • These directions apply to any person who has arrived in the Northern Territory since Monday, 14 June 2021 or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been at a COVID-19 exposure location during the public exposure periods.
  • Any person who has arrived or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been in the ACT since 14 June 2021 must check the above website at least once per day and comply with these directions if a place they have been to becomes a COVID-19 exposure location and they were at that place during the public exposure period.
  • With reference to direction 37(a) and (b) of my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions, any person to whom these directions apply who has arrived in the Northern Territory or who will arrive in the Northern Territory, must travel directly to a suitable place of quarantine and remain in that place, except to submit to testing for COVID-19 (or in an emergency). Once tested, the person must remain in the suitable place of quarantine until a negative test result is returned.

New South Wales

The Chief Health Officer has declared quarantine and testing directions for people who have been to a COVID-19 public exposure site in New South Wales, effective immediately.

The CHO is directing any person who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 1 June 2021, or who will arrive in the Northern Territory and has been to a New South Wales COVID-19 public exposure site at the dates and times to do as follows:

  • Any person defined as a ‘close contact’ by New South Wales health authorities must immediately get tested and undertake 14 days of quarantine in their home or at a suitable place. They must remain in quarantine (unless to get tested) until noon of the 14th day after they were in a New South Wales COVID-19 case location, regardless of whether they return a negative COVID-19 test.
  • Any person identified as a ‘casual contact’ by New South Wales health authorities must isolate, get a COVID-19 test and remain in self-quarantine until a negative test is returned.
  • Any person who this Direction applies to must check the New South Wales Health COVID-19 case locations website at least once per day to make sure they comply if a place they have been to becomes a COVID-19 case location.

New South Wales COVID-19 public exposure sites can be found at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/case-locations-and-alerts.aspx

To arrange a COVID test, please book online at coronavirus.nt.gov.au or contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 1800 490 484.

Greater Melbourne

The CHO has revoked the below listed Victorian Hotspots from 6:00pm on Monday 21 June 2021.

Please note: with reference to direction 22 of the Directions for Territory Border Restrictions (No.8) 2021, a person who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 7 June 2021 who is in quarantine by reason of having been in one of the revoked hotspots must remain in quarantine despite the revocation of the hotspots if the person was in a Tier 1 COVID-19 exposure site during the relevant public exposure period. The person must remain in quarantine until noon on the 14th day after the person was last in the Tier 1 site.

Victoria

The Chief Health Officer, under section 52 of the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011 (the Act), consider it necessary, appropriate or desirable to take action to alleviate the public health emergency in the Territory, declared by instrument entitled "Declaration of Public Health Emergency", dated 18 March 2020 (the public health emergency declaration), by making the following directions, effective immediately:

With reference to Part 6 of CHO Directions No.8 of 2021 (my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions), the locations listed at the following link as Public exposure sites in Victoria by the Victorian Department of Health, as updated by the Victorian Department of Health from time to time, are COVID-19 public exposure sites. The relevant times and dates specified at the following link as updated by the Victorian Department of Health from time to time are the public exposure periods:

Case alerts – public exposure sites | Coronavirus Victoria

  1. These directions apply to any person who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 7 June 2021 or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been to a COVID-19 public exposure site during the public exposure periods.
  2. Any person who has arrived or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been in Victoria since 7 June 2021 must check the above website at least once per day and comply with these directions if a place they have been to becomes a COVID-19 public exposure site and they were at that place during the public exposure period.
  3. With reference to direction 37(a) and (b) of my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions, any person to whom these directions apply who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 7 June 2021 or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been in a ‘Tier 1’ public exposure site, as defined by the above website, must quarantine at a place approved by me until noon on the 14th day after the last day the person was in the ‘Tier 1’ site. The person must submit to testing while in quarantine.
  4. With reference to direction 41 of my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions, any person to whom these directions apply who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 7 June 2021 or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been in a ‘Tier 2’ public exposure site, as defined by the above website, must travel directly to a suitable place of quarantine and remain in that place, except to submit to testing for COVID-19 (or in an emergency). Once tested, the person must remain in the suitable place of quarantine until they receive a negative test result.
  5. Any person to whom these directions apply who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 7 June 2021 or who will arrive in the Northern Territory who has been to a ‘Tier 3’ public exposure site must monitor for symptoms and be tested for COVID-19 if symptoms arise. If tested, the person must remain in a suitable place of quarantine until they are notified of the results of the test.
  6. To avoid doubt, a person to whom these directions apply is considered a person who is required to quarantine under my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions (No.8), and all quarantine requirements under my Directions for Territory Border Restrictions apply.

Queensland

The Chief Health Officer has declared quarantine and testing directions for people who have been to a COVID-19 case location in Queensland.

The CHO is directing any person who has arrived in the Northern Territory since 5 June 2021, or who will arrive in the Northern Territory and has been to a Queensland COVID-19 public exposure site at the dates and times to do as follows:

  • Any person defined as a ‘close contact’ by Queensland health authorities must immediately get tested and undertake 14 days of quarantine in their home or at a suitable place. They must remain in quarantine (unless to get tested) until noon of the 14th day after they were in a Queensland COVID-19 case location, regardless of whether they return a negative COVID-19 test.
  • Any person identified as a ‘casual contact’ by Queensland health authorities must isolate, get a COVID-19 test and remain in self-quarantine until a negative test is returned.
  • Any person who this Direction applies to must check the Queensland Health COVID-19 case locations website at least once per day to make sure they comply if a place they have been to becomes a COVID-19 case location.

Queensland public exposure sites can be found at: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/contact-tracing

To arrange a COVID test, please book online or contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 1800 490 484.

The Chief Health Officer will continue to review and assess the COVID-19 situation across Australia, 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.

Declared hotspots

There are no current hotspots.

View a list of former declared hotspots

  • Extract from  CHO Directions (No. 8) of 2021 PDF (5.2 MB) -  an explanation about what a person must do to travel through a declared hotspot to get to the airport.

    1. A person is taken not to have been in a COVID-19 hotspot if the person has been in a COVID-19 hotspot only in one or more of the following circumstances:
      1. the person travelled through the area in or on a motor vehicle, public transport or bicycle and did not leave the vehicle, disembark the public transport or dismount the bicycle while in the area;
      2. the person was only at an airport located in a hotspot;
      3. the person
        1. travelled into or out of the area by motor vehicle, public transport or bicycle directly to or from an airport located in the area; and
        2. remained in the vehicle, or on the public transport or bicycle while in the area except when entering or leaving the airport;
      4. the person either:
        1. arrived by aircraft at an airport located in the area and travelled directly from the airport to a hotel that is within 5 km of the airport; or
        2. travelled by motor vehicle or public transport from outside the area to a hotel in the area that is within 5 km of an airport and did not leave the vehicle or disembark the public transport except to enter the hotel; and
        3. after checking in to the hotel, did not leave the person's hotel room until departing the hotel to travel to the airport, except in an emergency; and
        4. travelled directly from the hotel to the airport and departed the area by aircraft.

      Examples for direction 5

      1. A person who travels by car through an area that is a COVID-19 hotspot but stops in the area to refuel the car or drop an item in a friend's mailbox, has been in the area.
      2. A person who rides a bicycle through an area that is a COVID-19 hotspot and stops in the area to buy a drink has been in the area.
      3. A person who flies into an airport located in an area that is a COVID-19 hotspot, remains at the airport during a 6 hour stopover and then departs the airport on an aircraft, is taken not to have been in the area.
      4. A person who flies to an airport that is located in an area that is a COVID-19 hotspot, takes a taxi from the airport to a hotel that is 5 km away from the airport and also located in the area that is a COVID-19 hotspot, checks in, orders room service and remains in the hotel room overnight, checks out the following day, travels directly back to the airport and takes a flight out of the area, is taken not to have been in the area.

  • All people travelling to the Northern Territory must complete the border entry form.

    If you are intending to travel to the Northern Territory from an identified active coronavirus hotspot you are advised to cancel your plans. Likewise if you are a Territorian intending to travel to an active hotspot you are advised to cancel your plans.

    See Google map with current hotspots.

    Anyone arriving into the Northern Territory from or through a declared hotspot must undertake mandatory supervised quarantine. If travelling to or from an airport within a declared hotspot Directions for COVID-19 Hotspots above provides advice.

    This will be at your own cost. The cost per person for supervised quarantine is $2500.

    Mandatory supervised quarantine will be at the Howard Springs* quarantine facility or another approved facility elsewhere in the Northern Territory. All quarantine facilities are alcohol-free.

    * Yulara or Alice Springs interstate arrivals may be transported to quarantine at Howard Springs in Darwin.

  • Travellers need to keep up-to-date with where they can travel and which areas have been declared COVID-19 hotspots, as the COVID-19 situation in Australia is continually evolving. If an area is declared a hotspot after you have departed but before you arrive in the Territory you will be placed in mandatory supervised quarantine.

    If an area you have been in is declared a COVID-19 hotspot within 14 days of your arrival in the NT, you must:

    • Contact the NT COVID-19 hotline 1800 490 484 and identify yourself as a person who has been in an area that has been declared a hotspot since you arrived in the NT
    • If directed, you must submit to a test or assessment for COVID-19 infection
    • Practice physical distancing (e.g. keep 1.5 metres away from others, if unwell stay home, sleep in a separate bedroom away from others, minimise contact with people) until 14 days has elapsed since your arrival in the NT.

    Travellers must be aware of their responsibilities as per current NT Chief Health Officer COVID-19 Directions.

    Don’t put the community at risk.

    • Are you a close contact. If you are a close contact or unsure, you must immediately self quarantine and ring the NT COVID hotline on 1800 490 484 and identify yourself as a potential close contact.
    • People in supervised quarantine will be subject to testing before exiting quarantine. If you refuse a test, there will be 10 days added to your quarantine time.
    • If you’re found to have provided misleading information on your arrival form you could face a fine of $5,056 for an individual, $25,280 for a business and a possible prison term of up to 3 years.
    • There are very limited reasons by which an exemption will be considered.

    Download the COVIDSafe app, it helps to support and protect you, your friends and family.