The Territory Labor Government will introduce home quarantine for fully-vaccinated domestic travellers in high vaccination zones from approximately 23 November.
In preparation, a home quarantine pilot program will begin for some Territorians from tomorrow.
This pilot will initially commence in Darwin, and be available to about 100 people. The pilot will be open to returning boarding school students and returning Territorians from hotspots who have a suitable place to quarantine.
The pilot will also commence in Alice Springs from 1 November to include around 30 people.
Once the pilot program is complete, 14-day home quarantine will be available to anyone arriving from a red zone. To be eligible you must:
· Be fully vaccinated;
· Supply proof of a negative PCR test less than 48 hours before entering the Territory;
· Undergo testing on day 1, 3, 5, 7, 12 and 17;
· Use the Good To Go App;
· Stay in a house, unit or apartment, hotel, or Airbnb; and
· Not have visitors during the quarantine stage.
The residence used for quarantine must be located in a high vaccination zone, where the full vaccination rate exceeds 80 per cent, and the following other criteria is met:
· Have 4G mobile phone coverage; and
· Have access to health services and COVID-19 testing clinics and police presence.
Home quarantine will be free - unless to cover private hotel and Airbnb costs - and people will be able to quarantine at the homes of fully-vaccinated Territorians.
If you host someone who is home quarantining, you will be able to leave the home and continue to go about your daily life, so long as all eligible members of the home are fully vaccinated, and all members of the home comply with the same testing requirements - tests on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 12 and 17.
Hosts will not be allowed to leave the high vaccination zone until they have received a negative day 17 test.
Returning overseas travellers on Commonwealth repatriation flights will still be required to quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience.
Anyone returning to the Territory on a Qantas London-Darwin commercial flight and leaving Darwin International Airport will be able to home quarantine, under the same conditions. Everyone on these flights will be fully vaccinated and will be required to return a negative test prior to boarding.
Creating high vaccination zones in remote communities will also be subject to further modelling from the Doherty Institute, and consent from Land Councils and Traditional Owners.
At this stage, unvaccinated people from hotspots can still enter the Territory with a permit, but they will have to quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience or Alice Springs facility and pay $2,500.
Quotes from Chief Minister Michael Gunner:
"We've led the nation in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we are taking safe steps forward so that fully-vaccinated people can undertake quarantine at home.
"This multi-day testing regime ensures we should catch cases before they become infectious.
"It's been a long, long road but we have done everything to keep Territorians safe and keep the economy turning - which will always remain our priority.
"As the nation begins to re-open, fully-vaccinated Territorians can look forward to reuniting with loved ones for Christmas.
