The Northern Territory Chief Minister says the NT is the only jurisdiction in Australia without diagnosed community transmission of COVID-19, but residents should not be complacent.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said daily arrivals to the NT had plummeted by 75 per cent since Monday, after the announcement of self-funded hotel quarantine measures.
Those measures — to be enforced from midnight this evening — require all international and domestic arrivals to self-quarantine for 14 days in a hotel at their own expense.
"The biggest threat to the Territory is clear — it's not us, it's them," Mr Gunner said.
"The rest of the country is full of coronavirus hotspots.
"We are the only place in Australia that doesn't have community transmission of coronavirus, which makes us the safest place in Australia."
But Mr Gunner said a lack of community transmission did not mean there would be any relaxation of current restrictions in the short-term.
"So I have been asked, given we are doing so well, does that mean we can put things back to normal in a few weeks?" Mr Gunner said.
"No, the answer is no — please do not let anyone tell you that this crisis can be cured by just a couple of weeks of staying inside.
"We've got to hang tough."
Still a 'better than even' chance of community transmission
Mr Gunner said the latest daily arrival figures at major NT highway checkpoints were evidence of the slowdown.
He said 11 people had been stopped on the Stuart Highway, another 11 on the Barkly Highway, and there were no arrivals on the Buntine and Tanami Highways.
"That tough message, our tough measures are working," he said.
"If you come to the Territory, we will put you in a room, we'll keep you there, and then we will give you the bill."
Despite the strong messages, some remote community residents have said they fear an increase in illegal border crossings due to increasing food prices.
Mr Gunner said the discovery of several COVID-19 cases in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia was a further warning for the NT.
"That did scare the hell out of me," he said.
He said there was still a "better than even" chance that community transmission would happen in the NT.
"If coronavirus gets loose in our community, it will kill people, and we will know the people it kills," Mr Gunner said.
"We are all in each other's business — if someone dies here, there's a good chance you will know them.
"That's what we are trying to stop from happening, so no, we won't be going back to normal in a couple of weeks."
AUSMAT 'ready to deploy' to remote communities
As at 8:00am this morning, NT Police said almost 1,300 compliance checks had been conducted, more than 2,600 people had been directed into quarantine, and two fines had been issued for non-compliance.
NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said resources were also being directed to automatic numberplate recognition along backroads, to stop the transport of alcohol into remote communities.
"The attitudes we've seen when engaging with people has for the most part been admirable," he said.
National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTR) executive director Len Notaras said the Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) were also on standby to offer support, including for remote NT communities.
"Whether it be a remote community that doesn't have the facilities that it needs or conversely if it's a hospital under pressure, we are ready to deploy and deploy quickly."
Mr Notaras said multiple set-ups could be deployed at the same time, if needed.
NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the Howard Springs facility near Darwin was available to provide support to Royal Darwin Hospital as COVID-19 cases increased and a similar arrangement for Alice Springs was being worked on.
"I understand they have identified a site," she said.
