From midnight tonight, Territorians who are deemed close contacts of a COVID-19 case will no longer need to isolate if they are triple-vaccinated, Health Minister Natasha Fyles has announced.
Under the Northern Territory's current guidelines, you are considered a close contact if you live in the same house as a COVID-positive person or stay there overnight.
You are also considered a close contact if you have spent at least four continuous hours indoors with a COVID-positive person while they have been infectious (usually two days before they develop symptoms).
"For those Territorians that have rolled up their sleeves and gotten that important booster dose, if someone in your household — or you're deemed a close contact — has COVID, you can continue to go about life," Ms Fyles said.
However, she said some rules would still apply.
If you are triple-vaccinated and are deemed a close contact, you must:
- Get tested for COVID-19 within the first three days
- Get tested again on day six
- Wear a face mask outside the home, both indoors and outdoors, if you cannot physically distance for seven days
- Notify your employer or your school
- Avoid high-risk settings such as hospitals and prisons, and
- Avoid large gatherings.
If you are unable to avoid high-risk settings or large gatherings, Ms Fyles says, you must take a rapid antigen test (RAT) before entering those types of situations.
Jacqueline Murdoch, the NT's Deputy Chief Health Officer, said the changes might lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases across the Territory, given "household close contacts [have] about a 50 per cent risk of becoming a case".
However, she said she was not concerned about a potential spike.
"We know that with those good booster coverage rates, we'll be able to protect our health system capacity, even if the case numbers go up slightly," Dr Murdoch said.
Rules change for the unvaccinated
Separately, Ms Fyles said unvaccinated people only needed to isolate for seven days now, instead of 14 days, if they were deemed a close contact.
"If you're not triple-vaxxed, you'll need to isolate for seven days," she said.
The NT government has also changed its definition of an unvaccinated person.
From midnight tonight, Territorians will only be considered fully vaccinated if they have had three vaccine doses.
"To be a fully vaccinated person, you need to have had three doses of the vaccine, or you need to … if you've had a dose overseas, have had that booster dose," Ms Fyles said.
The NT recorded 362 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday.
Of those, 321 were detected using a RAT.
There were 236 cases recorded in the Top End region, 52 in Central Australia, eight in East Arnhem, nine in the Big Rivers region and three in the Barkly region. Fifty-four are under investigation.
There are currently 46 coronavirus patients in hospital, with eight patients requiring oxygen and one in intensive care.
The number of active cases in the NT is 3,165, according to NT government figures.
