Floodwaters, Supplies & Resources Hamper NT Covid Efforts

Just as cases are settling across Australia's three Covid-ravaged states, the Northern Territory is on high alert.

It follows accusations last week from the NT's peak Aboriginal health groups of a "significant failure" by the government in managing the territory's current outbreak.

A letter addressed to chief minister Michael Gunner called for an immediate lockdown in Central Australia, in a bid to "stop the movement of people and flatten the curve of new infections and hospitalisations".

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Lockouts in Alice Springs, Amoonguna, Yuendumu and Yuelamu were all lifted at 2pm on Sunday, while a seven-day lock-in for residents in the remote community of Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island began on Monday.

Unlike restrictions across other states and territories, locals can freely move around the island, but cannot leave it.

“The rules of the lock-in allow people to move around Galiwin’ku and the Elcho homelands, but people cannot leave Elcho Island to go to other parts of Arnhem Land or places like Darwin and Nhulunbuy,” Secure NT said on Monday.

“This is because there is more Covid and the government wants to stop it spreading to other places like Gapuwiyak and Ramingining."

Lock-ins are also in place in other communities including Ampilatwatja, Palumpa, Milingimbi, Milikapiti, and Wessel Island including Martjanba.

Meanwhile, a "dire situation" is evolving in Utopia and Ampilatwatja, 350 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs after flooded roadways and no phone service have left the remote community clinics battling their first Covid outbreaks with diminishing supplies and without resources.

Chief executive Riek Luak said the clinic was down to 60 RATs, which would only test 10 per cent of the community once.

"We're not asking for much, we're not asking for handouts. We're just asking for resources to be able to fend for ourselves, that's all," Mr Luak told the ABC.

With vaccination rates lagging in the region with only 25 per cent of people over the age of five doubles dosed, community leaders are nervous of what may befall the community if the outbreak escalates.

Left to fend for themselves, and after waiting more than a week for relief supplies to arrive, some clinics have made the dangerous trek through floodwaters and closed roads in order to retrieve supplies from Alice Springs.

"This situation right now is the culmination of decades of neglect. It's not something that just happened yesterday or today," Mr Luak said. 

In the end, with heavy flooding and isolation, roads and runways in disrepair, it seems the governments promise to deliver supplies and resources has been left wanting.

It comes as the Northern Territory reported 812 new infections on Monday, including 52 that had been added to Sunday's cases.

There are currently 114 people in hospital with Covid, while nine require oxygen and five are in ICU.

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