Movement in and out of remote areas across the Northern Territory is now off-limits to the vast majority of travellers.
However, as COVID-19 spreads through many Indigenous communities, one leader has questioned if the travel restrictions are too little, too late.
The federal government implemented the restrictions last night in a bid to slow the spread of the virus between remote communities and from urban areas. (A full list of affected areas is here.)
Known as biosecurity zones, the restrictions will remain in place for at least two weeks and will buy health services more time to improve vaccination rates in remote outbreak areas.
There have been hundreds of COVID-19 cases on Galiwin'ku, population 2,200, and more than half of Milikapiti's 450 residents on the Tiwi Islands have been infected.
Similar stories of rising case numbers are unfolding across the remote Northern Territory.
Announcing the biosecurity zones in a press release last night, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said broader health measures were required in response to slow that spread.
But Matthew Ryan — the mayor of the West Arnhem Regional Council and several of the affected communities — has accused the Territory and federal governments of failing to properly plan for the outbreaks before the the NT's borders opened in December.
He said the biosecurity zones would not work without additional resources to combat issues he had seen in the large community of Maningrida, including people isolating in overcrowded and culturally inappropriate housing and locals shopping for food while COVID-positive.
"Whilst they're shopping, they're spreading COVID-19," he said.
"This is the sort of risk we're playing with.
"The Northern Territory government and the federal [one] have turned a blind eye, opened the floodgates. [Now] everyone defends for himself, almost."
However, the biosecurity zones have the support of three major land councils as well as the Northern Territory government and two health groups, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
The move follows calls from major Indigenous groups to take further action as COVID-19 began to spread through remote areas, but Chief Minister Michael Gunner, at the time, questioned the effectiveness of the biosecurity zones and said they were resource-intensive for police.
Under the measures, people can move between communities in the same zone, but travel into and out of the zones is restricted, except for essential service providers with COVID-safety plans.
Locals can apply to their land councils for exemptions to return to or leave their communities, but will need proof of a negative rapid antigen test.
The biosecurity zones, which are similar to those implemented at the beginning of the pandemic, complement Northern Territory government restrictions known as lock-ins that are already in place in about seven communities.
On ABC Radio Darwin on Thursday morning, NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles was repeatedly asked why the biosecurity zones were required alongside the existing lock-ins.
"These are focused specifically on those communities where we're seeing those outbreaks and to stop travel between communities, so that we can try to slow the spread of the virus," she said.
"They complement the [Chief Health Officer's] directions and they were put in place [in] consultation with the Commonwealth government."
Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner has called for the Australian Defence Force to help enforce the biosecurity zones, but Ms Fyles said its assistance would not be requested at this stage.
