Despite no new COVID cases being recorded overnight, health workers and service providers are still preparing for the Northern Territory's most serious outbreak to worsen.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner warned that the NT was "not out of the woods" as he confirmed the total number of cases in the cluster remained at 19.
"The next few days remain crucial," he said.
"While expected today, there's always a chance it will come through tomorrow."
Fears for Tennant Creek
General Manager of Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation in Tennant Creek Barb Shaw said service providers were treating the potential spread of COVID-19 to the town as a matter of urgency.
"It's not about if, it's about when," she said.
"Regardless, the matter is extremely important for this region because we are a low rate region.
Ms Shaw said vaccine hesitancy in Tennant Creek was still a major issue.
She said statistics for the Barkly region showed 46 per cent of Indigenous people had received one dose of a vaccine and only 27 per cent were fully vaccinated.
"As slow as it is, we are making progress," Ms Shaw said.
"But we are not there.
"We know some [community] members attended a funeral that weekend in Katherine and so we are working closely with those families.
Ms Shaw said the corporation had been involved in conversations about whether the Tennant Creek hospital could accommodate an outbreak, and said it was likely any serious cases would need to be sent to Darwin for treatment.
Rapid testing clinic to open
NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the government would open a rapid antigen testing facility in Alice Springs by the end of the week.
From Friday, anyone visiting a low vaccination rate community from Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs or from outside the Northern Territory will need to get a test 72 hours before travelling.
Ms Fyles said the facility on Bath Street would offer testing to remote workers leaving Alice Springs, but there were other arrangements for remote residents returning home.
"If someone is coming to Alice Springs for dialysis treatment or an outpatient appointment, we will arrange that test with their treatment," she said.
"That will be a bit of a remote coordination centre that will play different roles as we see, unfortunately, COVID become more commonplace in our community."
