The Northern Territory's peak Aboriginal health body has criticised national cabinet's decision to scrap mandatory COVID isolation rules.
From October 14, COVID-positive people will no longer be required to isolate for five days at home.
John Paterson, chief executive of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT), said it was "too early" to let COVID-positive people freely move about the community and potentially spread the virus.
"We've had more Aboriginal deaths in the Northern Territory from COVID than non-Aboriginal people," he told ABC Radio Darwin.
"We have to ensure that we keep the most at-risk population safe and prevent this very serious virus from entering into our vulnerable communities."
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up about 30 per cent of the NT's population, yet they have comprised the vast majority of COVID patients in Territory hospitals.
Mr Paterson said AMSANT health workers needed more time to treat chronic illnesses facing many Aboriginal people that were put on hold during the pandemic.
"With the [COVID] numbers slowly declining here in the Northern Territory, it's giving our clinicians an opportunity to start to address those patients with other chronic illnesses," he said.
"AMSANT's concern is that there is high risk that the virus will spread, and we won't have any mandatory requirements in place."
'An important milestone'
The NT's chief health officer, Charles Pain, said the lifting of isolation rules marked an "important milestone in our progress towards managing other COVID-19 like infectious illnesses".
"As with any infectious illness, it remains important that all Territorians stay home if feeling sick or experiencing COVID symptoms, so that they don't pass on their illness to others," he said in a statement.
Dr Pain urged people to continue to stay home and wear face masks if unwell "to protect the most vulnerable members of the community".
John Dujmovic, manager at Fiddlers Green Irish Pub in Darwin, said dropping isolation rules for people who test positive to COVID was "the best thing that's ever happened".
"I think it'll definitely allow more staff to come back and more customers to come into venues," he said.
Khushan Leitan, manager at Snapper Rocks restaurant by the waterfront, said the change was "brilliant for us".
"We will get an influx of hopefully more staff, because Darwin is lacking on those ends, and customers as well," he said.
"I wish it could've happened a bit sooner because we were in need of staff — I think the whole of Darwin was in need of staff."
Mr Leitan said he had faith that most COVID-positive Australians would continue to stay home, wear masks and manage their symptoms if unwell.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said she personally backed the change in yesterday's National Cabinet meeting.
"It was an unanimous decision from National Cabinet and I was briefed by Northern Territory Health before I went into those meetings," she said.
"It is important that COVID is still here, but we need to step from that emergency footing to a more community-based setting."
She said the NT could expect to see a rise in cases as a result of the change.
"There is the probability, or the possibility, we will see cases in the future rise, and we would then look at any public health measures we would need."
