In two separate incidents, a 32-year-old man from Cairns and a 61-year-old man from Brisbane, both entered into the Northern Territory via plane on 9 January 2021.
Police received information that the two people had lied about their whereabouts and conducted investigations. It was identified that they had in fact been in a declare hotspot before arriving into Territory.
The pair were each issued with an infringement penalty of $5,056 and taken to Howard Springs Quarantine Facility. Both men are of low-risk to the community and are being tested for COVID-19.
Incident Controller Acting Commander Sachin Sharma said, “It is selfish behaviour of the two individuals who think they are above the rules.
“Keeping the Territory safe is our paramount concern where Police, Health and our other partnered agencies have been working tirelessly to ensure compliance with the CHO directions. If police believe you are providing misleading information, we will investigate and if you are found to be lying you will face a fine and be required to quarantine at Howard Springs at your cost.”
The infringement penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer Directions issued under section 56 of the Public and Environment Health Act 2011 is $5,056 for an individual and $25,280 for a business.
