Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about whether the new Covid variant will affect Christmas travel plans

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Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about whether the new Covid variant will affect Christmas travel plans · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine now.
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  Speaker 1: Yesterday we learned of two new local cases of COVID
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: nineteen in the Northern Territory, taking the total number in
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  Speaker 1: the Catherine Robinson River cluster to fifty eight. One of
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  Speaker 1: the cases was found in the Binjari community, while the
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  Speaker 1: other was isolating in the Center for National Resilience after
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  Speaker 1: being identified as a household contact. Joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line is the Health Minister, Attasha Files. Good morning to
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  Speaker 1: your minister.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Minister. You were expecting wastewater test results back late yesterday
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  Speaker 1: for Catherine and La Jamanu. Any idea at this point
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  Speaker 1: how those results are looking and how this cluster is looking.
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  Speaker 2: So on Saturday evening we received advice that Lajamanu had
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  Speaker 2: positive wastewater and we sent our teams straight in there.
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  Speaker 2: I have had some early information this morning, Katie, and
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  Speaker 2: I'm about to head into Empty to have everything verified
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  Speaker 2: that it has become a presumptative positive. So a low
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  Speaker 2: reading in Lajamanu, but I'll get the full understanding health
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  Speaker 2: from Health Sorry what that means when we meet this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So that could spell good news. For La Jamano, Katie,
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  Speaker 1: I need.
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  Speaker 2: To get that advice from our health officials around what
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  Speaker 2: that means. What they're thinking is yesterday we had the
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  Speaker 2: two cases connected with Binjari and both of those were
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  Speaker 2: very low risk to the territory community as they've been
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  Speaker 2: in Center for National Residience and the Binjari community which
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  Speaker 2: is in lockdown. But I'll get full information and we
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  Speaker 2: certainly will update your listeners, who I know will be
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  Speaker 2: very keen to hit the latest once we've had everything verified.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, and any idea how things are looking for
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  Speaker 1: Catherine at this point was still too early to tell.
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  Speaker 2: So Catherine, the information we had yesterday was that we
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  Speaker 2: had no cases in Catherine. We've still seen people reaching
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  Speaker 2: out to be tested and vaccinated. We did have some
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  Speaker 2: low detections in the wastewater in Chambers Crescent and by
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  Speaker 2: a Centennial Road. And so for Catherine residents who I
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  Speaker 2: know listen to your show. If they're feeling any symptoms
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  Speaker 2: at all, just slightly unwell, please organized to be tested.
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  Speaker 2: We know we've had COVID in the community. We're still
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  Speaker 2: getting those detections, whether it's someone shedding the virus that
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  Speaker 2: has previously had it or if it's someone that has
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  Speaker 2: become infected, the testing is really important over the next
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  Speaker 2: few days.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know the Northern Territory has also recorded its
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  Speaker 1: first case of the OMRA con strain at Howard Springs.
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  Speaker 1: The case is a repatriated Australian man, as I understand,
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  Speaker 1: aged Dennez thirties, who flew directly into Darwin from Johannesburg
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  Speaker 1: on November twenty five. Does this person pose any risk
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  Speaker 1: to the general.
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  Speaker 2: Public, No, Katie, As you just said, he flew on
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  Speaker 2: a repatriation flight from Johannesburg to Darwin and he went
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  Speaker 2: straight directly to the center of the national resilience. He's
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  Speaker 2: also the international repatriations are in a separate zone away
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  Speaker 2: from domestic quarantine, so we have one large facility out
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  Speaker 2: there and then we have separate zones for different people.
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  Speaker 2: So obviously one of the first cases in Australia. I
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  Speaker 2: think there's only been five of the omicon variant confirmed,
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  Speaker 2: and we did get that information yesterday that this individual
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  Speaker 2: who we advised the territory community, had tested positive on
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  Speaker 2: the weekend we did that genero mix testing and the
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  Speaker 2: omicron variant.
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  Speaker 1: Do we have any idea at this point if the
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  Speaker 1: vaccine covers us for this strain.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, that is a question that our health officials
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  Speaker 2: are certainly turning their minds to. We've seen some initial
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  Speaker 2: advice from South Africa that they're seeing it spread quickly,
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  Speaker 2: but people aren't becoming severely unwell, and so our health officials,
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  Speaker 2: and I do believe the federal ministers providing an update
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  Speaker 2: this morning, are looking at how this impacts Australia going forward.
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  Speaker 2: But we do know that a level of vaccination protects
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  Speaker 2: our community and that's why it's so important that people
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  Speaker 2: who roll up thestle it needs to be vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know that the cases of this new variant
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  Speaker 1: in Australia has led the federal government to delay reopening
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  Speaker 1: of international borders to students those with humanitarian visas. How
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  Speaker 1: is this going to impact the Northern territory or will
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  Speaker 1: it impact us in any way?
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  Speaker 2: So I think it's too early to say that, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: I'm very confident in the system that our health officials
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  Speaker 2: and the government have outlined. We had that pilot around
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  Speaker 2: home quarantining and that certainly taught us lessons around what
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  Speaker 2: worked and what didn't work. To inform the next steps.
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  Speaker 2: We've now got the seventh day home quarantining, but importantly
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  Speaker 2: we've got that testing regime, and so I believe as
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  Speaker 2: we move forward it's the testing that will be so
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  Speaker 2: important because it will alert us early to COVID so
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  Speaker 2: that we can care for those people and protect our community.
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  Speaker 2: So we certainly don't propose any changes yet to what
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  Speaker 2: we've outlined. We acknowledge the community is highly vaccinated. We
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  Speaker 2: need to get back to life as normal, and so
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  Speaker 2: they are our plans to allow people to travel with
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  Speaker 2: that testing regime.
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  Speaker 1: So at this point in time, no changes to our
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  Speaker 1: plans when it comes to opening up over Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: Correct Fully vaccinated people getting regular tests for risk can
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  Speaker 2: be managed well and mitigated, and so that is the
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  Speaker 2: health advice and that's what we're following.
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  Speaker 1: When will we be allowed to have international arrivals again
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  Speaker 1: that don't sort of have to go into Howard Springs
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  Speaker 1: or do they all still need to go into Howard
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  Speaker 1: Springs for the foreseeable future.
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  Speaker 2: That's a really important question, Katie. So the repatriation program
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  Speaker 2: which we work through with a Commonwealth government, those people
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  Speaker 2: will still go for two weeks quarantine they're coming from
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  Speaker 2: places that are particularly vulnerable, they don't have the rates
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  Speaker 2: of vaccination that they might not be able to access
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  Speaker 2: the fires of vaccine for example. But in terms of
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  Speaker 2: international arrivals coming from December twenty, it's the same regime
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  Speaker 2: whether you're coming from Sydney or London in terms of
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  Speaker 2: that testing regime, So having that test negative test within
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  Speaker 2: seventy two hours travel, the testing regime at the airport,
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  Speaker 2: and then that day five tests. So that is what
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  Speaker 2: we're aiming for for the territories from December twenty. We
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  Speaker 2: will no longer require fully vaccinated arrivals quarantine, but they'll
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  Speaker 2: have that testing regime.
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  Speaker 1: So that's for the international arrivals as well, correct, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: International commercial flights and so someone could fly from example,
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  Speaker 2: America to see me and come straight through to Darwin,
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  Speaker 2: or they could be on that direct London to Darwin's flights.
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  Speaker 2: There arepatriations flight through a different program, and we'll still
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  Speaker 2: utilize Howard Springs in conjunction with the Commonwealth.
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  Speaker 1: And so even with this news strain, at this point
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  Speaker 1: in time, you don't sound as though you're overly concerned
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  Speaker 1: that things are going to need to change.
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  Speaker 2: So speaking into the Acting Chief Health Officer yesterday. Of
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  Speaker 2: course you know it is of interest, and note that
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  Speaker 2: there's a new variant, but he believes the regime we've
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  Speaker 2: got in place, we'll protect our community and he'll work
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  Speaker 2: with officials nationally and internationally to ensure any adoptions that
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  Speaker 2: are needed are put in place. But we don't succeed
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  Speaker 2: that at this point.
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  Speaker 1: All right, minister, I want to take you to a
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  Speaker 1: message that I received from a listener yesterday afternoon. It
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  Speaker 1: says just came back from Adelaide, landed one hour ago
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  Speaker 1: and just got tested still waiting at the airport. Had
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  Speaker 1: a COVID test in Adelaide on Saturday because the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory government asked us to get one when coming back
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  Speaker 1: from Adelaide. Not one person from Northern Territory Health asked
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  Speaker 1: if we had that test in the past seventy two
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  Speaker 1: hours and it wasn't required. I'd ask the lady who
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  Speaker 1: tested me and she said she'd never heard of that requirement.
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  Speaker 1: So we wasted forty five minutes in Adelaide getting tested,
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  Speaker 1: and essay Health and paid for it for absolutely no reason.
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  Speaker 1: It is very busy at the airport. They're taking five
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  Speaker 1: minutes at every station to clean and wipe it all
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  Speaker 1: down and change their gloves. Yet every person here is
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  Speaker 1: triple vaxed and got a negative result in the past
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  Speaker 1: seventy two hours. It's not streamlined at all, says this
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  Speaker 1: text say health was a five minute streamline when we
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  Speaker 1: landed in Adelaide. So I think that gives you a
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  Speaker 1: bit of a comparison ized bose between the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: and South Australia. But firstly, can I ask, if you're
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  Speaker 1: coming back for me, say, do people need to get
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  Speaker 1: a test before they get on that plane? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: So the Choe direction and I'm sorry that the listener
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  Speaker 2: had that experience, and I'll certainly take that feedback back
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  Speaker 2: to our teams. This is all as we change the directions,
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  Speaker 2: our officials on the front line pivot their work and
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  Speaker 2: so we certainly thank people for their patients. But people
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  Speaker 2: the chose directions yesterday they needed to have that test
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  Speaker 2: seventy two hours before they left South Australia, and then
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  Speaker 2: the rat test at the airport or on entry to
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  Speaker 2: the territory, and then day five tests. We gave notification
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  Speaker 2: of that on Friday, so people had time to get
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  Speaker 2: that test, and so our health officials are finding that balance.
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  Speaker 2: We know that there's been COVID cases in South Australia,
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  Speaker 2: they don't want to simply close the borders and enforce
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  Speaker 2: everyone into quarantine. So we believe that was a balanced approach.
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  Speaker 2: But it is a learning experience for all of us
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  Speaker 2: in terms of those processes, and so we'll take that
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  Speaker 2: feedback on board well.
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  Speaker 1: And also though, if people are going to the trouble
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  Speaker 1: of getting that test, then they're not even being checked
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  Speaker 1: as to whether they've had it or not all, what's the point.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, that Chow directions of the test seventy two
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  Speaker 2: hours or less before travel. It changed yesterday. I will
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  Speaker 2: have to check the specific timing of that, whether it
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  Speaker 2: was midnight last night. But we certainly gave a notice
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  Speaker 2: on Friday that people so that people could take, you know,
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  Speaker 2: get planned for them to get themselves that test. So
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  Speaker 2: I just need to clarify that. But I again apologized
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  Speaker 2: that and travel is not what it used to be,
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  Speaker 2: and that's what I've been saying even as we step
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  Speaker 2: towards December twenty. When you get off a domestic flat,
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  Speaker 2: it won't be grab your bags and out of the airport.
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  Speaker 2: It will be processing and it may take some time,
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  Speaker 2: but that is what we need to do to stop
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  Speaker 2: home quarantining and to keep our community safe.
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  Speaker 1: Are things going to be streamlined though at the airport?
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  Speaker 1: I mean from what that Listeners said, it's a much
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  Speaker 1: easier and simpler process in South Australia than what it
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  Speaker 1: is when you arrive in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I have had feedback over the many months of
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  Speaker 2: COVID that sometimes are entry into other states. They felt
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  Speaker 2: like they're not verified and the infs not collectives. So
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  Speaker 2: we'll manage our program, but I think there is always
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  Speaker 2: room for improvement, and there has been significant changes over
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  Speaker 2: the last couple of weeks away from mandatory quarantine through
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  Speaker 2: to the rat tests at the airport, so I think
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  Speaker 2: there is always room for us to streamline that process.
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  Speaker 2: But people in preparation for Christmas and January school holiday travel.
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  Speaker 2: When you get back to Darwin, it's not going to
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  Speaker 2: be ten minutes in your home, grab that bag or
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  Speaker 2: have no checked luggage and can get home quickly. We
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  Speaker 2: do need to check you, we need to know where
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  Speaker 2: you've been. We need to get that test done and
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  Speaker 2: so people need to be prepared to be patient.
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  Speaker 1: All right, minister, Let's move along because we know that
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  Speaker 1: Parliament resumes in the Northern Territory today, the last parliamentary
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  Speaker 1: sittings in the NT for this year. The final sittings
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  Speaker 1: obviously are going to include a rare conscience vote on
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  Speaker 1: abortion law reform. What exactly does this vote center around?
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  Speaker 2: So katy four years ago we changed the legislative work
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  Speaker 2: around medical termination of pregnancy and it shows that we
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  Speaker 2: have been able to safely adopt those practices allow women
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  Speaker 2: and their health providers access to appropriate treatment. And so
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  Speaker 2: these are amendments that further enhance that. This is what
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  Speaker 2: our healthcare providers and women's advocacy groups have asked for.
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  Speaker 2: It's been through a process of development through government. But
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  Speaker 2: it is a conscious vote in the Parliament, so members
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  Speaker 2: are able to represent the view that they feel best
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  Speaker 2: represent their electorate. So very conscious that it is a
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  Speaker 2: difficult debate for some people, but I can't overemphasize importance
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  Speaker 2: of this for territory women.
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  Speaker 1: I know that the former Independent Jerry Wood has issued
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: a statement last week saying that the bill does not
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  Speaker 1: recognize that an unborn child is as a complete individual
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  Speaker 1: human life formed by a relationship between a man and
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  Speaker 1: a woman and reflected in the new genetic makeup of
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  Speaker 1: that life, and it should be protected and cared for
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  Speaker 1: inside the mother for the nine months as well as
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: protected by the law. He has said in that statement
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  Speaker 1: that unfortunately this is clearly not recognized by the Minister
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  Speaker 1: for Health as seen by your abortion on demand bill,
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  Speaker 1: where abortions under the proposal could occur up to the
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  Speaker 1: day before birth. He says, clearly this bill should not
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  Speaker 1: be supported. Minister. What is your response to that, Jerry
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  Speaker 1: Wood is.
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  Speaker 2: Entitled to We have very different views on this. I
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  Speaker 2: believe that this law, it's been demonstrated, it's required to
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  Speaker 2: make small improvements so that we can remain contemporary and
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  Speaker 2: in the more than territories contact we can support women
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  Speaker 2: kb these such tragic circumstances. It is not someone getting
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: to thirty two weeks and going do you know what,
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  Speaker 2: actually didn't mean to get pregnant. This is for women
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  Speaker 2: that go through the most tragic circumstances of finding out
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  Speaker 2: later in their pregnancy that their baby is not developing
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: their fetal abnormality. And so this allows our highly qualified
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  Speaker 2: medical practitioners to work with that woman and her family
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  Speaker 2: to deliver her potentially life saving care. So it will
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  Speaker 2: be debated in the Northern Territory Parliament. I expect a
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  Speaker 2: respectful debate. There has been a lot of information provided
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  Speaker 2: to members briefings, there has been doctors speaking to members
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  Speaker 2: of Parliament and everyone is entitled to their view. My view,
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  Speaker 2: this is important legislation for women accessing healthcare in the Territory.
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  Speaker 1: Minister for Health, Natasha Files, we are going to have
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  Speaker 1: to leave it there. Thank you very much for your
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  Speaker 1: time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you you're
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  Speaker 1: Listening to Mix one O four point nine three sixty