The town of Katherine and the remote Aboriginal community of Robinson River have gone into lockdown as the number of cases in the latest Northern Territory Covid-19 cluster reaches 11.
Nine new positive cases were identified overnight, all of them Aboriginal Territorians.
A 65-year-old woman is in Royal Darwin Hospital, while the remaining positive cases are in the care of the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs.
A 71-year-old man and 5-year-old twin sisters are among the new cases.
Katherine's lockdown will last for a week, while a 72-hour lockdown order applies for Robinson River.
A mask mandate is in place for the whole of the NT for the next week, amid fears the virus may have been seeding in Katherine for some time. Health teams have so far identified 161 close contacts of the positive cases.
No link between the current cluster and the recent COVID scare that forced Darwin into a snap lockout, and Katherine into lockdown, has been established.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner says more lockdowns are possible
"If clusters one and two are linked there is a significant gap between the last case on November 4 and the first case of cluster 2 on November 13," NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said.
"There is a chance the virus has seeded and moved. This is obviously a serious escalation in the Covid-19 situation in the Northern Territory. I need all symptomatic Territorians to get tested. We want to see a testing response across the Territory."
A door-to-door public housing vaccination drive is underway in Katherine, while a Rapid Response Team arrived in Robinson River yesterday after a 30-year-old female resident tested positive. She was a household contact of the cluster's first case - a 43-year-old Katherine man.
'Better safe than sorry'
The Territory's peak Aboriginal Health body, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT has called for Territory-wide caution in light of the NT's first Aboriginal Covid-19 cases.
"This is potentially our Wilcannia moment," CEO John Paterson said.
"This is our call for maximum vigilance at a clinical and political level - but more importantly a call for maximum care and love for our families and friends.
"Get vaccinated as a matter of urgency to protect our Elders and kids."
Chief Minister Gunner said daily wastewater testing would occur in Katherine, Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.
"I provide a warning today. A positive wastewater result in one of these locations may be enough to trigger a lockdown or lockout decision," he said.
Mr Gunner said the Katherine region's 75 per cent second dose vaccination rate was not yet high enough to enable lockouts to replace lockdowns.
"We need to see a vaccine response in Katherine, we need to see a testing response in Katherine," he said.
Robinson River has about 350 residents and 77 per cent of those eligible for vaccination have had two doses.
Twenty priority Covid tests from Robinson River residents have been sent to Darwin and those results will be available tomorrow. Health teams hope to test all residents for Covid-19 over the coming two days.
Testing and vaccination teams are also on the ground in Borroloola, about 100km from Robinson River and home to about 1100 people.
Outback close to home for Senator
The Northern Territory's Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy has revealed the positive case from Robinson River is her sister.
"To my sister who is the source of the Covid infection in Robinson River that our thoughts and prayers are with her and our family," Senator McCarthy said.
"To our aunties and uncles and cousins who have been flown in from Katherine, who are in Howard Springs to stay strong. I'm proud of you that your double vaccinated and proud of you that you're there and you're in safe hands.
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy has revealed her sister as the positive case from Robinson River
"Families in Borroloola and Robinson River, get yourselves tested with the teams that are out there and to make sure that you look out for one another."
Senator McCarthy said the housing situation in Robinson River was dire.
"We have 10 to 12 people to a house. We have (residences) who have 20 people living to a house."
