Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles

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Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, as I said before, the Northern Territory's Chief Health
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Officer has issued that COVID nineteen hotspot declaration for Cans
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and Yarraba. It came in to effect yesterday. Joining me
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: on the line to talk further about this and plenty
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: more is the Health Minister Natasha Files. Good morning, Well
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: let's try that one more time. Good morning to your
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: minister Files.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Good morning will Fee. I'm here excellent Monday.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: My technical issue from my end, I think now, Minister,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: what is the current situation when it comes to our
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: hot spots or the hotspot declarations which impact the territory.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: O Katie. This delta variant of the COVID nineteen is
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: very virulent and it is traveling across Australia and so
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: we won't hesitate to call the hot spot declaration. We
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: saw Victoria going to lockdown and the Chief Health Officer
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: put that Melbourne Metropolitan hotspot declaration late last week and
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: unfortunately yesterday it became apparent that there is a case
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: in Cans. An individual who they believe are spent up
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: to ten days in the community was infectious. So they
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: have declared a hot spot for cans and some surrounding areas.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: So that means anyone who arrives in the Northern territory
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: will have to go into mandatory quarantine. And Katie, for
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: any of your listeners who may have recently been in
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: North Queensland, there is also some directions for people to
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: isolate and stay isolated until they get a negative test.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: This is because we don't know the specific locations that
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: that individual has been to. Some of them are starting
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: to come through this morning, but we're being very cautious.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: So if you've been in North Queensland in those areas
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: since the twenty ninth of July, you need to be tested.
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Meanwhile, we know that the end to hotspot declaration for
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Southeast Queensland, it remains in place as I understand it.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: That is despite those residents emerging from lockdown yesterday. So
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: what is going to happen with Brisbane, the Gold Coast,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: the Sunshine Coast.
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: Are we expecting those hot spots to lift?
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, they have reduced their measures. They've gone from
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: an absolute lockdown to being able to do some activities,
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: but they have measures such as masks in place. We
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: won't remove that hot spot declaration until it's safe to do.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: So there are still cases and cases that are in
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: the community in that southeast corner of Queensland. I think
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: yesterday we saw a case on the Gold Coast. So
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: people shouldn't automatically assume that when a hot spot, sorry,
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: when a lockdown is lifted for an area, that we
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: will respond with a hot spot being lifted. Sometimes that
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: is the case, but we will be guided by our
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Chief Health Officer and so I know this is an
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: intervenience to people, but they do need to be conscious
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: of that that it might not be an automatic hot
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: spot removal.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: I guess the best advice for anybody is to make
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: sure that they do stay up to date. By heading
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: to that covid end website as well, they can get
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: all of that up to date information. If they are
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: into state, they'll be able to go on there and
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: see exactly where is still a hot spot and what
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: they need to do if they're planning on heading back
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: to the tree.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Correct, Katie. It is a situation where we've got New
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: South Wales, Melbourne, we've got exposure sites in we've got
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: hot declarations in Queensland, we've got exposure sites in Western
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: Australia and so our health authorities. They work around the
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: clock through the weekends to make sure that our decisions
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: are based on the latest advice. And if you have
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: recently traveled or are looking to travel, we owe you
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: to head to that website.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: Minister, a question just come through since twenty nine July.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: What does that mean?
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Is that from the thirtieth of July onwards or from
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: the twenty ninth of July onwards if you flew back
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: in from North queensighted.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: So the advice I've got Katie is since the twenty
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: ninth of July, so I would assume that includes twenty
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: nine July. I'll get that checked by heals off there
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: and make sure that we get that to you while
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: you're still on air this morning. But the information I
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: have is if you were in cans since the twenty
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: ninth of July, you must isolate and stay in isolation
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: until you get that negative chest results.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Another big announcement was made by the Chief Minister, Michael
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Gunner yesterday that the territory is going to be banning
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: all non approved travel to the NT from COVID nineteen
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: hot spots effective from today.
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: What exactly does that mean.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, if you're a returning territory and the process
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: is streamlined, if you provide evidence of your residence in
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: the territory, your approval is automatic. But what we've got
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: is a situation where, for example, eight hundred people who
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: have recently arrived from domestic hotspots, less than a quarter
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: of them were MPTY residents returning home. And so as
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: the COVID nineteen pandemic has been prolonged, people from other
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: jurisdictions are utilizing our quarantine to pivot into states that
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: have completely hard bordersm won't allow anyone. So someone from
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: New South Wales who may need to go to WA
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: for work is coming to the territory for two weeks,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: they're staying at Howard Springs and they're immediately leaving. They're
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: not spending any dollars here in the territory and they're
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: going to WA. So we made this decision to make
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: sure that the quarantining facilities are available for us to
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: utilize them for the purposes we need.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: So how many people are doing this over the last months.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: We've got a significant number, Kadi in terms of people
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: that are utilizing it. It's been something that we've been
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: aware of and we've seen that creep and so we've
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: made this decision, particularly with so many areas in hot
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: spots and a prolonged situation where it's evident that New
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: South Wales is not going to be getting out of
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: their lockdown or their hot spot declarations anytime soon. The
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: people are being quite imaginative and they're coming to the
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: territory to utilize our quarantine.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: So you don't have any concerns that this is going
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: to impact tourism in any way.
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: I mean, I know that we've.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Probably got quite a few let's say grandparents and family
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: members coming to the Northern Territory to help their families
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: in terms of childcare and caring for those that are
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: un well. You're not concerned that it could impact them
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: in any way. Is it still going to allow people
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: like that to come in?
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: So yes, Katie, there is an exemption process. There's a
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: list of people that for example, essential work, people that
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: are providing an essential service to the territory, and there
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: is compassionate grounds. But what we're doing is we're seeing
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: people that are coming into the territory. They're not coming
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: here to have a holiday, they're not spending two weeks
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: in quarantine and then spending a few weeks in the territory.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: They're immediately leaving the territory and they're stilling those quarantine
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: spots that we need to utilize. Considering this prolonged episode
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: of a number of areas in lockdown, we need to
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: make sure that they're available for territorians. We've seen increasingly
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: being used from people from interstate who have no intention
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: of spending further time in the territory.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: So can people still come here for holidays if they're
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: in a hot spot and let's say they're retirees and
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: they think, I don't mind doing two weeks in lockdown.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: They know they can still come here and spend their
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: money here in the territory.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: Katie, if you're in an area that's lockdown, you should
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: be staying at home. You shouldn't be going more than
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: the five or ten calimit kilometers that the local health
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: authorities are put in place. There is COVID in your community,
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: and so we want tourists in the territory, but we
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: want them from non hot spot areas. And Katie, we
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: don't want to see people transmitting this virus and that's
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: what we're seeing. It's creeping. It's crept out of Sydney
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: into the northern you know, the area around Newcastle. It's
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: now in southern Queensland. So, Katie, lockdown is lockdown and
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: we need to make sure that we keep this virus
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: out of the territory.
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  Speaker 3: So why are we taking this step? Is it full
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: out there?
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Pardon?
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: Is Howard Springs full out there?
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  Speaker 1: Is that why we're sort of taking this step to
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  Speaker 1: not allow you know, those let's say, those workers that
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: are maybe working in way but transitting through Howard Springs.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: Is it full? Is that why we're taking this step?
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Oh? So, Katie, the numbers for Howard Springs presently, there's
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: the figures I've got today is two one hundred people
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: in the Howard Springs facility and in the Todd facility
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  Speaker 2: there's one hundred and forty four residents and there's thirty
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: two rooms available. And we acknowledge, Katie, that we need
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: to make sure we preserve our quarantine resources. It's not all,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: but it certainly is nearing capacity. But what we've identified
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: is a significant number of people that are just utilizing
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: our quarantine to go to another jurisdiction. It's not to
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: benefit the Northern Territory. So we need to preserve those
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: quarantine rooms for people that are genuinely coming to the
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: territory for purposes such as moving to the territory for
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: business or work that benefits the territory. So that's why
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: Territorians rechtraining homes have an automatic exemption once they prove
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: that they are as Territorian, and for others there is
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: a process of exemption for a listed number of I
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: get it.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: I understand what you're saying, but I guess some people
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: listening right now will be thinking it seems a bit UnAustralian,
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: especially considering that we've had the Olympians and of course
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: we have the international repats that go through there, So
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: why not allow workers to go through there if they
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: are heading off to WA or another state for work.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: Patty, we're not a service center for other jurisdictions. We're
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: absolutely doing our bit. We're being very Australian. We're letting
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: the retraining Olympians come through, repatriating vulnerable Australians, but we
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: cannot continue to put a burden on our quarantine system.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: Other jurisdictions need to look at how they allow people
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: that perhaps are essential to their jurisdiction to come in.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: What we're doing is making sure territorians can get home
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: and people essential to the territory can quarantine.
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: Did the decision have to be run past the fetes?
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: Certainly, Katie. We work closely with the Commonwealth, but this
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: was a decision of the Territory Controller and the Emergency capet.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I've got a message here that says, aren't we all
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: in this together? Or is it a states state vers
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: territory situation? Katy.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: I think people are reading into it too much. If
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: you're in a hot spot, if you're in lockdown, you
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: should be staying at home, Katie, and only people with
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: specific need should be traveling outside of those areas. So
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: we're actually supporting those jurisdictions that are trying to lock
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: down and stop the virus from spreading. This new delta
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: strain is certainly very different to previous strains.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: The Chief Minister said that it is costing territorian's money.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: I actually thought that everybody that went through there had
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: to pay that two and a half thousand dollars to
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: stay at Howard Springs.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we've confirmed previously that the two and a
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: half thousand doesn't fully cover our costs. The costs are
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: not behind this decision being made. Rooms being available is
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: the most pressing issue, and so we are doing this
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: so those rooms are available for territorians, and Katie, I
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: point to Southeast Queensland. People probably have spent some time there.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: They've ridden out hoping that when the lockdown is that
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: the hot spot would be listed from the Northern territory.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: That's not the safe thing for us to do. So
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: we'll now have territorians who will make the decision to
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: come home go into quarantine. We need those rooms available
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: for them. As I said, we're not a service center
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: for other jurisdictions.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: So just to clarify, has this been agreed to by
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: the federal government.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: Katy, it's not a matter for the federal government to
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: agree to this. As I said, we communicate with them,
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: But this is a decision of the Territory Controller.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: So, but is Howard Springs regarded.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: I know that it obviously is run by the Territory Controller,
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: but given the fact that the federal government's providing an
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: enormous amount of funding, and my understanding is that that
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: is attached to the international arrivals.
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: But so they don't.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: Need to sort of to be notified or let know
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: that this change is happening.
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: Katie, I will have to start to conclude my comments.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: I do have an importment I have to get to.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: But in terms of Howard Springs, the international side of it,
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: we work closely with the Commonwealth. They have full oversight,
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: They provide the funding for that. The domestic side is
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: controlled by the Northern Territory and this is a decision
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: based on that domestic side. It is separate to the
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: international side.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: All right, I know we are running out of time,
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: so I do just want to power through a couple
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: of things. I understand that that code yellow at Royal
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: dar And Hospital has now been lifted.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, So the code yellow was listed on Saturday afternoon.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: And what a code yellow is is it shows that
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: we're experienced their peak in bed demand and in that's
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: capacity management plans at the hospital. So we've been at
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: an escalation plan of level four for a number of
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: days and despite amazing efforts, concentrated efforts from our staff,
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: we needed to call that code yellow, which enacts processes
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: within the hospital to try and ease that pressure and
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: get some bedflow happening.
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: We know that patients then from Palmerston Regional Hospital had
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: to be transferred out of the renal unit, as I
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: understand out there, what was the issue?
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, this was a separate issue and it was
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: around us. I'm advised plumbing issues at the Palmerston renal
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: unit and so it had a temporary closure of the
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: unit which allowed maintenance to go in and resolve that issue.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Has that issue been fixed now, the plumbing issue, Katie.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: I haven't had a brief on that. But the dialast's
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: patients were relocated to other censers to continue their vital
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: treatments and we worked with them to make sure that
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: they had transport etc.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: How long do you anticipate that that unit's going to
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: be closed down?
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, I'll get an update for you and get
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: my team to send it through to you. But I
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: understand it was a temporary plumbing issue, all right.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: And so did any of those patients have to be
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: transferred across the Royal Darwin Hospital.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we've got a number of dallass services in
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: the top end at Royal Darleen Hospital. The Nightcliff rerein
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: or unit. So they would have scheduled their treatment at
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: those facilities, is my understanding.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: And so did that have any impact when it comes
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: to that code yellow?
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, there were two separate issues. The code yellow,
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: as I just explained to your listeners why it was
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: called and what it enacts. Then we had that plumbing
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: issue and with dallases, which is a life saving treatment
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: that can't be deferred. We've always got contingency plans if
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: we're to see any impact on one of our censers.
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: And so that's what was enacted there.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: All right, I do just want to ask you very
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: quickly the darw And Turf Club. It was expected they'd
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: hold that special general meeting tonight to elect a new board.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: It's now being reported by the paper that it has
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: been delayed until August twenty four. Michael Gonna said on
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: Sunday at a press conference he may not take any
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: legislative action even if the Darwin Turf Club aleex board
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: members that the Independent Commissioner against Corruption made findings of
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: misconduct against Do you think that this legislation needs to change, so, Katie.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: As we've said consistently, as the ICAC report noted we
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: need to make sure that we have processes in those
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: clubs and those associations, and right now they have put
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: in place some temporary measures and we need to see
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: that longer term change so that we can have confidence
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: in this board that oversees such a significant space in
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: the church.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: So there is going to be legislative change.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: So Katie, as you've just reported, and we've been made
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: aware this morning that they've deferred their meeting and so
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: we need to await the outcome of that meeting.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: Is this a backflip by the Chief Minister O Katie.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: I've just pointed out we need to have confidence in
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: the club the association there they've got the opportunity to
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: elect the new board and we would be preempting to
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: get into further conversation.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: All right, Minister Files, we are going to have to
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: leave it there. We appreciate you taking the time to
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: speak with us this morning, and I think that we'll
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: speak to you again tomorrow to find out exactly what's
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: happening Parliament.
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: Thank you for your time.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: Thanks Walking