Woolworths has been heavily impacted by the lockdown, being named an exposure site seven times resulting in high numbers of staff members being forced into isolation.

After having to reduce their opening hours a number of times to accommodate staff shortages, the store is set to resume its usual 7am - 10pm opening hours from Wednesday.

It comes after Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced on Tuesday morning that a new testing protocol would be introduced for Woolworths staff members to curb staff shortages.

Read more:

"I think their work is crucial for Katherine for the incredible work they're doing to keep locals supplied and I thank them for their co-operation and testing," Mr Gunner said.

"We are now working with Woolies and other essential services on a testing protocol that allows them to continue to operate even while they are being listed as exposure sites. This is the same approach we take with our health care centers."

Woolworths welcomed the announcement in a statement.

"This will go a long way in enabling us to safely maintain essential supply and service to Katherine and the local community that rely heavily on this store," a spokesperson said.

"The strain on our store should begin to ease as these changes take effect and we expect our store will trade as normal from Wednesday.

"We thank our customers and the broader Katherine community for their understanding as we work through this together.

"We also share the Chief Minister's sentiments in relation to our team in Katherine. We too wish to thank our team members who are working incredibly hard to continue to supply the community during this time."

The Katherine Times has removed the paywall from our stories relating to health warnings and safety of the community in regards to the coronavirus. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.