Chief Minister Michael Gunner is set to provide a COVID-19 update at 12pm, where he will confirm whether or not the NT-wide lockout will be lifted as planned.

Under the lockout, unvaccinated adults have to comply with lockdown conditions, while fully-vaccinated people are able to live as usual while still complying with the mask mandate.

If Mr Gunner gives the green light, a vaccine pass system will be introduced from midday at "high-risk hospitality settings" including; pubs and clubs, casinos, restaurants, cinemas, ticketed events for over 500 people in urban centers in over 100 in non-urban centers.

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"We're doing this early as a sustainable measure that provides the best ability to control community transmission and who ends up in our hospitals," Mr Gunner said on Thursday.

It comes after the number of COVID-19 cases in the NT, especially cases of community transmission, has continued to grow at a rate deemed "concerning" by Mr Gunner and Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie.

Owner of Katherine retailer Rod & Rifle TackleWorld, Trent de With, said the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the NT had impacted business.

"So the lockout and all that sort of stuff didn't change a lot for us, because, I think there's not many unvaccinated people left," he said.

"But what we have noticed is a huge slowdown in business. I don't think is just due to the lockout, I think it's just due to COVID sort of ramping up a bit and people going well, I don't really need to go out'.'"

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