Northern Territory senator says commonwealth should have foreseen closures and acted to provide cover
Aboriginal health services in the Northern Territory are shutting down over Christmas, prompting calls for the federal government to step in and provide local health support to communities that have been exposed to Covid.
“It’s concerning that some health clinics in remote Central Australian communities are shutting down over the Christmas period,” the Yanyuwa woman told Guardian Australia. “The federal government should have had contingency plans to support the health of remote communities through the holiday period.”Tennant Creek is now under a lockout order, which means that double-vaccinated people can move around provided they wear masks.
But vaccination rates are much lower in the regions. As of last week, just 37% of people aged 16 and over in the Barkley region had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination. Vaccination rates in communities such as Epenarra and Canteen Creek were even lower, with double dose rates of 20% and 26% respectively.
Anyinginyi has provided daily video updates on social media to explain the restrictions. Chair Ross Jakamarra Williams said that people who have been identified as close contacts of positive cases will be taken to Howard Springs to quarantine.
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