Northern Territory records nine new COVID-19 cases, Katherine lockdown extended

Katherine's lockdown has been extended until Monday after the Northern Territory town recorded nine new cases of COVID-19 overnight.

The cases come after the Territory rr, sparking what was initially a snap 72-hour lockdown in Greater Katherine.

Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the cases are all "direct" members of her family.

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"NT mob, don't be afraid and don't be shame. Get tested and get vaccinated. Stay strong Katherine and Robinson River," Ms McCarthy tweeted.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner no new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the remote community of Robinson River overnight.

All nine cases in Katherine are close household contacts of the two cases announced last night and they are all Aboriginal Territorians.

The cases include a 71-year-old man, a 65-year-old woman who has been admitted to Royal Darwin Hospital, a 62-year-old woman, a 40-year-old woman, a 38-year-old woman, a 22-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl, and twin five-year-old girls.

Mr Gunner said the vaccination status of all the cases was unknown.

The new cases bring the total number of infections for the outbreak to 11.

Mr Gunner announced the Katherine lockdown had been extended to 6pm Monday, November 22, making it a seven-day lockdown.

"This is obviously a serious escalation in the COVID-19 situation in the Northern Territory," he said.

Mr Gunner said he was issuing a call to action to all Territorians, with a mask mandate to be enforced until 6pm on Monday.

"You must wear a mask whenever you leave the home. You are permitted to remove your mask if undertaking vigorous exercise."

Katherine Hospital and school listed as exposure sites

Mr Gunner said there were 161 known close contacts and a number of exposure sites, including Katherine Hospital and the MacFarlane Primary School in Katherine.

Parents of children who normally attend the school are being asked to get their children tested after a teacher tested positive.

"That is a request," Mr Gunner said.

All Territorians with COVID-19 symptoms are also being encouraged to get tested, with Mr Gunner saying there is a chance the virus has spread across the Northern Territory.

Anyone not vaccinated against the virus has been urged to get the jab immediately.

Mr Gunner said it was the third time Katherine, where vaccination rates are at about 75 per cent double dosed, had been forced to lockdown.

"These are tough times for Katherine," he said.

"The vaccine rate for Katherine overall and within vulnerable pockets is not at a level where we can consider lockout as an option."

NT Acting Chief Health Officer Charles Pain has urged people to get tested and get vaccinated.

"We are now in a clearly very serious situation," Dr Pain said.

"We are in a desperate race to track this down and identify those further cases.

"If you are still waiting to get vaccinated, you could be exposed to the virus at any time. You're taking that risk of being exposed to the virus unvaccinated and the consequences of that, particularly for the communities in the Territory, could be dire."

Source of outbreak unknown

Mr Gunner said it was unknown if this outbreak of COVID-19 — being referred to as cluster two — was linked to the first cluster at the beginning of the month.

"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 two on November 13," he said.

"There is a chance the virus has seeded and moved."