The Northern Territory government is scrapping its rapid antigen testing regime for interstate and international arrivals, as the number of people with COVID-19 in Territory hospitals rises to a new peak.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced on Sunday that there are now 121 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the NT, up from 111 on Saturday.
Of those, eight patients are receiving oxygen, down from 10 yesterday, and there are three in intensive care.
The NT recorded 849 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours up to 8pm on Saturday, Mr Gunner said.
There are now 5,150 active cases in the Territory.
The number of patients in hospital now represents about 2.4 per cent of the NT's total active cases.
Lockouts in Alice Springs, Amoonguna, Yuendumu and Yuelamu all lifted at 2pm on Sunday, as scheduled.
Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie said he was not worried about how the NT's COVID-19 case numbers were tracking.
"The numbers at the moment, you might be concerned, but … the numbers in ICU have actually gone down," he said.
"That's a comfort to me and it should be a comfort to all of you."
Mr Gunner also said Saturday's daily case tally has been revised up from 828 to 879, following the addition of more positive RAT test results.
RAT test requirement for travellers scrapped
In a major change to testing rules in the NT, Mr Gunner announced that from Tuesday, the government would be scrapping its current rapid antigen testing regime for interstate and international arrivals, which has required travellers to take three tests and report the results within a week of entering.
It means arrivals will now be able to enter the Territory without taking a rapid antigen test.
They also will not be required to use the G2G app, though they will still need to complete a border entry form before arrival.
Unvaccinated travellers remain barred from entering the Territory without an exemption.
Mr Gunner said the change would conserve much-needed RAT tests and free up "close to 100" frontline staff at a point when local transmission had overtaken spread from interstate or overseas as the major source of infection in the NT.
"The peak of arrivals from interstate ahead of the return to school has now passed and we are now very confident that the overwhelming majority of new cases in the Territory are being acquired locally, not from Interstate," he said.
"At this point, providing a test to a random arrival at the airport is about as effective as providing a test to a random person on the street in Darwin, that is, not effective.
He said the NT still had a "secure supply" of RAT tests "and we want to keep it that way".
Mr Gunner said the change would translate to visible differences when people arrived at Territory airports, with fewer staff in place to check travellers.
"Essentially, the patrols are in place for the unvaccinated still, but [there'll be] effectively free entry for the vaccinated," he said.
Mr Heggie said it was the right time for the testing change with the outbreak having reached a "peak".
"I think that this is the time for [this] approach," he said.
"We could hold off for much longer, but in actual fact, I don't believe things will actually change."
'Lock-ins' implemented in remote communities
Mr Gunner also said from 2pm Sunday, seven-day "lock-ins" would come into effect in the remote communities of Ampilatwatja, Palumpa, Milingimbi, Milikapiti, Elcho Island including Galiwin'ku and the Wessell Islands.
During the lock-in period, residents won't need to stay at home, but they will not be permitted to leave the community without an exemption.
Police will monitor transport in and out of the communities, with all non-essential road and other transport to cease.
Breaching lock-in restrictions will see individuals fined more than $5,000.
According to an NT government statement released on Sunday, Milikapiti recorded 66 new COVID-19 cases in the last reporting period, while there were 29 new cases in Palumpa and 20 new cases in Galiwin'ku.
Ampilatwatja and Milingimbi recorded one new case each.
Mr Gunner said the lock-ins had been implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 by minimising movement.
"We've been trying to stop and slow the spread of Omicron with lockdowns and lockouts for some weeks now, with, I think it's fair to say, limited success," he said.
"This has also been the international experience — lockdowns struggle to contain Omicron.
"Given the difficulties in stopping the spread of Omicron within a community, our priorities now have to be on ensuring we can limit spread between communities and focusing our efforts on caring for sick people, rather than using up manpower and hours and forcing stay-at-home orders for people who aren't sick or who aren't high risk."
Mr Heggie said the lock-in measures were "very appropriate".
"In the places where there are lock-ins, that's a very appropriate approach at the moment," he said.
"It's proportionate [and] it is to stop the spread between communities and also out to communities."
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said affected communities could expect a stronger police presence over the next seven days as officers monitored transport in and out, with support from land council staff on the ground.
"If we find people have left community through those roads and are in breach of the CHO directions, you will be fined. It's as simple as that. Don't leave," he said.
"We're going to work with community stores about restricting fuel access, we're going to restrict charter flights, we're going to restrict commercial transport options into those communities.
"There are very finite reasons to be able to leave those communities, and we will work together as a community to facilitate that movement if it is required.
Commissioner Chalker also said police would be speaking with land councils about developing an opt-in lock-in system for communities.
"If that proves to be the case, we'll work with them about what that looks like," he said.
"But it has to be based on medical evidence and the CHO has to be comfortable that the threat of the spread of COVID is a real risk to that community, and we'll work with people to do that.
"We don't want to limit people's freedoms without a necessary purpose to do so."
