Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
No new COVID-19 cases in Top End
No new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the Northern Territory after an infected defence contractor travelled from a Sydney quarantine hotel to Darwin.
August 18, 2021
The Northern Territory has reported no new COVID-19 cases after an infected US man travelled from Sydney to the Top End.
The defence contractor spent three days in Darwin and drove 300km south to Katherine on Sunday for work before a test revealed he was infected.
Contact tracers identified about 100 close and 450 casual contacts amid a three-day lockdown in Greater Darwin and Katherine.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he would hold a press conference later on Wednesday to update the public.
There have been no cases linked to the man in his 30s who flew via Canberra to Darwin on Thursday.
He arrived at Darwin Airport on a Qantas flight just before midnight on Thursday and travelled to the Hilton Hotel by taxi.
He returned a positive result on Sunday after mandatory testing at Royal Darwin Hospital.
The man had earlier returned a negative test on August 10 during his stay in the Sydney quarantine hotel.
More than a dozen public exposure sites have been identified, including Smith Street Mall in Darwin and the Woolworths in Katherine.
A Defence spokesman said no installations or facilities were potentially exposed to the virus.
Authorities haven’t revealed how the man contracted COVID-19 or if he has the Delta variant.