NT declares ACT a COVID hotspot after lockdown announcement

Approved arrivals from the ACT will have to enter a supervised quarantine facility like Howard Springs. (AAP: Glenn Campbell)

The Northern Territory has issued a COVID-19 hotspot declaration for the ACT effective from 4:30pm central time.

Anyone approved to come to the NT from the ACT after that time will be directed into 14 days of supervised quarantine at their own expense.

Anyone who has arrived in the Northern Territory from the ACT between August 5 and 4:30pm on August 12 needs to immediately self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19.

The declaration comes after it was announced the ACT will go into lockdown for seven days from 5:00pm AEST after the territory recorded a positive case of COVID-19.

ACT health authorities said a man in his 20s from Gungahlin had tested positive for the virus and had been infectious in the community since Sunday.

NT Chief Minister Michel Gunner says people and businesses have been using Howard Springs as a transit point to enter other states (ABC News: Hamish Harty)

Greater Melbourne and the entire state of NSW are still declared hotspots for travel to the NT.

On Sunday, the Northern Territory tightened its quarantine requirements, meaning travellers from declared hotspots now need to prove they have a legitimate reason to quarantine in the Territory.

The new rules were introduced to save space at the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility, which has capacity for about 2,000 overseas arrivals and roughly 1,000 domestic travellers.

To date, there have been 200 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the NT, seven of which are currently active. 

There are 2,245 people in quarantine across the Northern Territory.