UPDATED: Two Canadian men who had been granted COVID-19 quarantine facility exemptions were allegedly seen leaving their government-approved Darwin hotel and going into the community “several times” for days before being fined, NT Police said.

The two men were issued with $5,000 infringement notices and taken to the Howard Springs quarantine facility on either Friday or Saturday, it appears.

Police said as part of their work arrangements, the two Canadian men had been granted approval to quarantine in a Darwin hotel before travelling interstate.

“The men arrived in their hotel on Monday and over the next few days were seen several times leaving the premises as well as not wearing masks within the hotel itself,” said a police statement released on Saturday afternoon.

But police on Saturday afternoon did not say why the men were given the exemption, what hotel they were staying at and why it took several days of breaches before action was taken.

NT Health officials later revealed to select media that the men were firefighting pilots who were due to travel interstate to work as part of a bushfire emergency management team.

However, police and NT Health continued to withhold what parts of the city they visited during their many absences from hotel quarantine, although they did state that neither man had tested positive for COVID-19.

“It is disappointing that these individuals engaged in irresponsible behaviour, however, our Environmental Health Officers and NT Police continue the vigilance on compliance and any breaches will meet with appropriate actions by police,” said Incident Controller, acting Commander Sachin Sharma.

“NT Police, the NT Health department along with our colleagues from a large number of other agencies are committed to continuous collaborative work from the Emergency Operation Centre in an effort to keep Territorians safe during this pandemic.”

Police said, “the men have been taken to the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility to complete their quarantine period”.

The police and government did not release figures for how many people are currently in hotel quarantine in the NT.