The number of close contacts linked to a Delta variant COVID-19 outbreak that started at Newmont’s Granites Mine near Alice Springs continues to grow.

June 29, 2021

The number of Northern Territory close contacts linked to a Delta variant COVID-19 outbreak that started in a central Australian mine continues to grow.

The most recent and seventh case is a man in his 50s, who left Newmont’s Granites Mine, about 540km northwest of Alice Springs, on Friday.

He returned to Darwin, where he travelled to multiple venues, including the Buff Club for more than four hours, before being ordered into quarantine.

NT Health estimated there were about 150 close contacts from the members-only watering hole but on Tuesday that ballooned to 180.

Contact tracers have only been able to track down about 60 of the people, with the remainder believed to be still moving about the community.

“We’re very confident we’ll be up over 100 this morning,” Chief Minister Michael Gunner told ABC radio on Tuesday.

“We know all of them, we are approaching all of them. We’re getting them isolated.”

Meanwhile, there has been a slow start to COVID-19 testing in Darwin and its surrounding districts, which are in lockdown until Friday.

Just 256 tests were performed at a car park testing facility on Monday with no figures immediately available from NT Health for other sites despite repeated requests.

The Top End’s outbreak started with a Victorian man on Saturday who travelled to the mine via a Brisbane quarantine hotel before testing positive.

About 170 fly-in, fly-out workers from the mine travelled in recent days to Brisbane, 250 flew to Perth and 29 headed to South Australia, with 259 remaining in the Top End.

A close contact of the first case, the Victorian miner, who lives in Palmerston, south of Darwin, tested positive to COVID-19 on Sunday while in the Howard Springs quarantine centre.

He had spent time with his wife and daughter before entering the facility. They’re also in isolation with their test COVID results expected later today.

Two other infected miners who had not left the Tanami Desert site were also been evacuated to Howard Springs.

Another positive case travelled to NSW and is being managed by authorities there and a female worker flew via Darwin to Queensland.

Public exposure sites also include the Darwin International Airport departure lounge, Bunnings Darwin and the Commonwealth Bank on Smith Street in the CBD.

The lockdown encompasses the Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield local government areas, and Wagait and Belyuen Shires, with anyone leaving their home required to wear a face mask.

Residents are only permitted to leave home for medical treatment, to obtain essential goods and services, for work considered essential, one hour of exercise a day or to provide care.

Newmont was contacted for comment on Sunday.