The Gunner Government has announced it will introduce a bill giving the chief health officer extraordinary power to make laws in a pandemic for two years following the end of a public health emergency declaration period, taking the end of COVID-19 control measures close to the next election.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner removed his mask for an indoor political photo opportunity while holding his arm around an elderly woman, in the latest example of NT politicians posing for pictures that appear to contravene the chief health officer’s COVID-19 directions, and follows Victorian politicians being fined by police for doing the same thing.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner is expected to extend the public health emergency declaration for another 90 days later this month – and the extraordinary powers that come with it – without needing to prove there is a current ‘serious’ public health emergency, a move the Opposition says could continue unchecked for another few years.

The NT’s indoor mask mandate in most places will be lifted on Monday, the Chief Minister has declared, with the check-in app only to be used at venues that require proof of vaccination from today.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner says the mask mandate will end “sooner rather than later” but gave no firm timeline, a position the Opposition attacked as failing to provide certainty for Territorians.

Staff at the Howard Springs COVID-19 quarantine facility are in limbo over their jobs, following an all-in meeting regarding the future of the facility last week, which sources said is still up in the air come June 30 – the same date contracts will expire – while the government has already cancelled major tenders for the facility this year.

The Gunner Government has ended all COVID-19 border controls including allowing all un-vaccinated people into the Northern Territory with no quarantining, the chief health officer Dr Hugh Heggie has said.

UPDATED: The Gunner Government will spend up to $130 million for the supply and delivery of Rapid Antigen Tests over the next 12 months, according to a public tender released on Monday, which could see it provided with 100 million RAT kits.

Double-vaccinated Territory workers will now be required to get a third “booster” jab of the COVID-19 vaccine, Chief Minister Michael Gunner has declared, under new Chief Health Officer directions.

Government school staff will “have access to” three rapid antigen tests a week, all government school air-conditioning systems will undergo audits and students from Year 3 will be “strongly encouraged” to wear masks, as part of the NT Government’s back to school plan amid rising daily COVID-19 cases across the NT.

UPDATED: Chief Minister Michael Gunner has blamed a single public servant for the government’s failure to notify Territorians they had been at exposure sites through the Territory check-in app and has moved the employee back to the public service instead of sacking them.