Police have issued a 23-year-old New South Wales man with a notice to appear in court after they say he illegally crossed the NT border on Monday.
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Police said they spoke to the man at the Kulgera Border Control Point on the SA border and found he had recently been in a current NSW hotspot.
The NT intends to remove Greater Sydney as a hotspot on October 9.
Police told him he would need to undertake 14 days mandatory quarantine if he entered the Territory.
He turned around and drove back towards South Australia.
Later that day, police located the man's vehicle abandoned in a culvert approximately two kilometres south of the Kulgera Border Control Point.
Police believe the man crossed the border on foot and then hitchhiked.
The man was located yesterday and arrested by police in Yulara.
Incident Controller Acting Commander Sachin Sharma said: "Police and other agencies have been working tirelessly to provide a coordinated response to this health emergency.
"The vast majority of travellers have been very cooperative and it is disappointing to see some continue to risk other people's safety.
More reading: The NT is officially coronavirus free.
"We will continue to pursue those who breach the directions of the NT Chief Health Officer.
"Police enquiries found the man only spent a short amount of time in the region. He has been tested for COVID-19 and returned a negative result. He is currently undergoing quarantine in Alice Springs."
The man was issued a notice to appear for:
- contravention of emergency declaration
- false statutory declaration.
He will appear in Alice Springs Local Court on September 28.
Investigations are continuing.
NT Police and Environmental Health Officers continue to undertake compliance activities.
More than 70,000 people have arrived in the NT since border controls were relaxed in July.
Greater Sydney remains a coronavirus hotspot although NT health officials are preparing to drop its hotspot status on October 9.
The infringement penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer Directions issued under section 56 of the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011 is $5,056 for an individual and $25,280 for a business.
32,391 compliance checks have now been completed and 150 fines issued.
For information on the changes to quarantine requirements, visit www.coronavirus.nt.gov.au
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