From today, anyone who travels to a Northern Territory remote community that has a first-dose vaccination rate of less than 70 per cent for people aged 16 years and over will have to wear a mask at all times in public for seven days after they arrive.
Aboriginal health leaders are calling for patience as remote residents adjust to the rules, while advocates from the deaf community are urging visitors to be mindful that mask-wearing can impact communication.
The direction applies to anyone who is travelling to a "low vaccination rate" community from Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs, or from outside the Northern Territory.
From Friday, the same people will also have to get a rapid antigen test 72 hours before travelling.
The restrictions are in addition to existing requirements imposed by land councils on people who are travelling to remote communities.
'Teething problems' to be expected
John Paterson, head of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory (AMSANT), said he expected there would be some "teething problems" with the new rules.
"I just say and recommend that, let's not be too aggressive in this approach, let's tease out some of those teething problems and work through the issues in a common-sense manner," he said.
Sinon Cooney, chief executive of the Katherine West Health Board, said it was important community members were not criminalised for not understanding the new rules.
Katherine West is a community-controlled health organisation that provides health services to eight communities west of Katherine including Yarralin, Timber Creek, Kalkarindji and Lajamanu, all of which are currently below the 70 per cent first-dose threshold.
"We do have some concerns about how people are going to be treated as they return to community as far as community members go," Mr Cooney said.
He said he thinks residents will understand the new rules.
Katherine West staff, many of who live in Katherine, will also be impacted.
"Whilst we are happy to wear masks, it does create some communication challenges for us, with people who are hard of hearing or deaf, as well as community members who don't speak English as a first language," he said.
NT Police Commander Daniel Bacon said it was the role of police to enforce the Chief Health Officer's directions, but officers would continue to take an educational approach.
"We're not there to enforce the letter of the law on that particular date, we're there to educate," he said.
An NT Health spokesperson said the department was working with Aboriginal communities and health providers to make sure masks were available in remote communities.
"NT Health is working with communities with low vaccination rates to support the use of face masks, which have proven effective in limiting COVID-19 transmission," they said.
Masks can hinder communication
Disability advocates are reminding those who travel to communities that deaf people will often rely on facial expressions.
"With the glue ear that's prevalent in most communities, some people might have a certain level of hearing and some might be profoundly deaf and rely on sign language, or lip-reading, to communicate, so mask-wearing will definitely impact them," Deaf Services Darwin's Debbie Kennewell said.
Deaf Services chief impact officer Brent Phillips said it was important remote residents were aware there were exemptions available.
"For communication between deaf people, in professionals, or in the community, there are exemptions around the use of masks for communication purposes," he said.
Ms Kennewell said what that looks like in practice will depend on the person.
"For me, I'll ask them to remove their masks, and be socially distant, so you can have that 1.5 metres because I'm profoundly deaf and rely on that lip pattern and facial expressions," she said.
"A person that has a certain level of hearing also relies on that lip-reading for the additional cues, and can request the same."
Rapid testing next hurdle
Mr Cooney said Katherine West was still trying to understand how the rapid testing requirement would work when it comes into effect on Friday.
He said the health service had ordered some rapid tests for its remote community clinics just in case, even though the idea was that people should get a test 72 hours before they arrived on community.
The NT government has said rapid antigen COVID-19 testing sites will be established in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs, but has not provided further information on exactly where, nor if there will be a cost.
"We are going to access some rapid antigen testing if people do end up in our communities and need to be tested," Mr Cooney said.
An NT Health spokesperson said the department would keep the public updated on how the new rapid testing model would work once the details were finalised.
"NT Health is undertaking work to develop a testing model for people returning to remote communities which is accessible and effective," they said.
