Two people will face fines totalling more than $10,000 after allegedly lying about visiting a Victorian COVID-19 hotspot on declaration forms while trying to enter the Northern Territory.
A 36-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man crossed into the Northern Territory by road from Queensland through the Barkly Highway Border Control Checkpoint on July 31, listing NSW as their only destination in the prior 28 days.
But police said following further investigations, it was discovered the pair had been in a Victorian hotspot prior to entering the NT.
Incident Controller acting Commander Sachin Sharma said the man and woman will face court for lying on a declaration form, pursuant to section 119 of the Criminal Code Act (NT) 1983.
But she did not reveal how police made the discovery.
Ms Sharma highlighted NT Police’s zero tolerance for providing false information about travel arrangements.
The infringement penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer’s orders is $5,056 for an individual and $25,280 for a business.
“Police and our partnered agencies will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure the wellbeing and safety of Territorians,” Cmdr Sharma said in a statement.
“We encourage cooperation from the public but will enforce all CHO directions to ensure compliance. The majority of those who have entered the Northern Territory have followed the advice of authorities.”
As it stands, 32,047 compliance checks have now been completed and 150 fines issued, police said.
The pair will face court on 14 November 2020.
As of Wednesday morning, the NT Government reported that 50,000 people have entered the NT since border restrictions were eased on July 17.
The government said of that figure, 20,392 have arrived by air, 28,649 by road and 78 people by sea or by rail, with 552 people from hot spots put into mandatory quarantine.
There are currently no reported active cases of coronavirus in the Northern Territory.
The fruIt hangs low in this one, Obi-Wan. How about a look into “senior executives/managers” and other “hangers-on” who use the government’s
“essential workers” pass to travel freely without quanrantine restrictions for personal business?