A Darwin woman who allegedly spat in the face of a hospitality worker after being called out for refusing to wear a mask at a local pub has been charged with four criminal charges, including spitting on a worker.

NT Police said the 22-year-old woman was at a pub – since identified as the Tap Bar on Mitchell St – in the early hours of Sunday morning when she was asked by a security guard to put on a mask.

The woman refused and an “altercation” ensued. Upon being removed from the pub, the woman allegedly spat in a staff member’s face.

Police later arrived and arrested the woman charging her with two counts of assaulting a worker “not suffer harm”, one count of contravening an emergency declarations and one count of “cough, spit or expectorate on/at worker”.

Police said the incident was “disgusting”.

“No worker deserves to be treated like this,” incident controller Shaun Gill said in a statement.

“Not only are we coming out of lockdown and need to be especially mindful of the Chief Health Officer Directions, spitting at someone is disgusting at any time and this incident cannot be taken lightly.”

The woman was later bailed and is scheduled to appear in Darwin Local Court on July 26.