A peak Aboriginal health clinic has backed calls for the Northern Territory government to lockdown all remote communities after a surge in COVID-19 cases across the region.
In the community of Ali Curung, which reported its first COVID case on Sunday, only 34 per cent of residents have had two doses of a COVID vaccine.
The community, 170 kilometres south of Tennant Creek and 378km north of Alice Springs, went into lockdown on Sunday, whereas its service centre, Tennant Creek, was locked down on Friday.
Tennant Creek is expected to stay under lockdown orders until Wednesday after a surge in cases.
Tennant Creek has a double vaccinated rate of 69 per cent, while 83 per cent of residents have had a first dose.
Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation's chief executive Barb Shaw said she has held discussions with Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT).
"Anyinginyi is right behind AMSANT with its call to lockdown the major communities throughout the Barkly, and absolutely agree this is the only way to move to contain people movement," she said.
Ms Shaw said the region had a spider web of roads that connected communities
Ms Shaw said there had to be a contain and test approach right across the region.
"It has to be consistent. If you do it just for Tennant Creek, it's not going to work because of the network throughout the Barkly."
Need evidence to lockdown
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the response to the Tennant Creek outbreak and the one case in Ali Curung needed to be appropriate.
"We can't simply lock people down on the basis that we suspect people have travelled or we suspect we might have cases we do need to have evidence.
"These are big decisions."
Not the time to close health clinics
Member for Barkly Steve Edgington said it was appalling the public were still waiting to learn about exposure sites.
"We went into lockdown on Friday. The government has had all of Friday, Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday, the website still doesn't have any exposure sites."
Mr Edgington said he was appalled at the decision to close health clinics in the region.
"We had the Acting Chief Minister, fronting a press conference on Friday putting Tennant Creek into lockdown, but at the same time the minister is obviously sitting in her office finalising the closure of Canteen Creek clinic," he said.
Mr Edgington said Canteen Creek also serviced the Epenarra community, which was roughly an hour away.
"The minister won't tell us who the close contacts are. We don't know how many of those close contacts have travelled around the Barkly.
"We've got a potential crisis on our hands."
