Interstate tourists have been using Katherine as a transit stop.
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They have been allowed to fuel up and stock up on food and groceries during their journey through the NT.
Despite the self-quarantining rules, the visitors are allowed to enter Katherine shops as long as they practice social-distancing rules.
Katherine's location on the crossroads of the Stuart and Victoria highways, which is usually highly valued during normal tourist seasons, has seen more visitors than expected in the past week despite repeated warnings for them to keep away.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner today moved to tighten up the road blocks to force interstate arrivals into forced quarantine from midnight Wednesday.
As it stands today, interstate arrivals must "travel directly from the place of entry to a place that is suitable for the person to reside in for a period of 14 days".
However, travelers passing through to other states or their quarantine location within the Territory are being permitted to stay for a night in Katherine without restrictions on entering public spaces such as Woolworths.
"We've had a number of people travelling through that are allowed to stay a night in Katherine," Riverview Caravan Park manager Fiona Young said.
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"We're only allowed to have people quarantine in cabins with their own proper en-suite facilities, but these other people are still allowed to go shopping and stay in their own caravan etc.
"We've had a couple that will be quarantining up in Darwin when they get there, but they're still free to move around while they're here," Mrs Young said.
"The only person we've had wasn't stopped at the border, they've just allowed him straight through which was pretty surprising," Boab Caravan Park owner Glen Amato said.
Residents have also raised concerns about caravans parked in various public areas around town, which the Katherine Times has asked police to comment on.
Not all the tourists in town are interstate travelers, however.
"We've got a few people down from Darwin that believe it's safer for them to stay down here for a while," said Manbulloo Park owner Bronwyn Trewin.
"We also have back seen several backpackers looking for farm-work," she said.
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