Lockdown will lift in the Northern Territory as planned after no new cases of coronavirus were identified.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said residents in Greater Darwin and Alice Springs will no longer be under stay-at-home orders as of 1pm today, but a number of restrictions will remain.
There will be no restrictions on leaving your home, but residents will be required to wear masks in public and while at work when social distancing cannot be maintained.
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They will be mandatory in supermarkets and retail stores.
The state recorded no new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours after 3,502 tests.
"The Northern Territory's lockdown will end at 1pm today, that means the lockdown ends today for the Top End and for Alice Springs as well," Mr Gunner said.
https://twitter.com/kathleengazzola/status/1410792452298985477"We are bringing that forward based on the latest health advice.
"I know it's been a bit of a wild ride but we are really happy with what's come through overnight, especially the rapid testing from the Stuart Park site."
Facemasks will also be mandatory on public transport, in taxis and during ride shares.
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For the next seven days, hospitality venues will be required to have patrons seated at all times when dining in.
Gyms will remain closed and close contact sports will also not be permitted for the next week.
Gatherings at homes will be limited to just 10 visitors.
"This is just for the next seven days," Mr Gunner said.
"We are not putting any additional restrictions on other big events, but the mask rules must be adhered to and QR codes must be used.
"It's those two things together that will mean your event can proceed."
Checking in will now be mandatory across all NT venues no matter the length of time spent inside.
"In the past, we've also required that the check-in system only be used if you're at premises for longer than 15 minutes. We will now require it be used for any length of time," Mr Gunner said.
"Finally, we'll be requiring that anyone who enters the Northern Territory after leaving a non-territory quarantine facility, must get a COVID test within three days."
'Dodged a bullet'
NT Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie became emotional when talking about how "terrified" he was for the Indigenous community when the first cases emerged.
Dr Heggie said the territory had "dodged a bullet".
"I've lived and worked with Aboriginal people for a long time, 20 years, so, because of that, we had some early controls in place and those controls have done us very well," he said.
"I was always worried … would the community come with us if we had an outbreak?
"The check-in app, business, industry, a whole lot of people have come along with us. So, in this instance, I can say that I think we've dodged a bullet."
A COVID-positive man revealed yesterday to have allegedly breached his isolation order by visiting a convenience store has claimed he did not lie to authorities.
The man has since gone into the Howard Springs quarantine facility and the store has been added to the list of exposure sites.
Mr Gunner said yesterday the man in his 50s "broke the law and he lied about it" by returning to the Stuart Park Corner Store on Sunday, June 27 when he had been ordered to remain in isolation.
Today, Territory Controller Jamie Chalker said the man had denied lying about his movements, claiming he'd told authorities.
But Mr Chalker maintained he had breached a stay-at-home order.
Yesterday, the Northern Territory recorded one new case of COVID-19.
The man was a close contact of the first case linked to the Tanami mine, Mr Gunner said.
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