US marine deployed in Australia's Northern Territory tests positive for COVID-19

CANBERRA - A US marine deployed to Australia's Northern Territory (NT) has tested positive for COVID-19.

Natasha Fyles, the NT Health Minister, said on Friday that the marine had returned a positive test while serving a mandatory two-week quarantine period at the Australian Defence Force (ADF) facility in Darwin after arriving in the NT "a few days ago" as part of the annual Marine Rotational Force.

She said that the marine has been transferred to the Royal Darwin Hospital and that health authorities would "make decisions working with United States authorities about what is the best care".

It is one of only two active cases of COVID-19 in the NT, which according to local health authorities has had only 32 confirmed cases in total.

Fyles said that the detection of the case was proof that the quarantine systems in place for marines were working effectively.

"This is not someone who has been mixing in our community and this is not a case of community transmission," she said.

"This is an individual who arrived in Darwin on a charter flight, they went through the military side of Darwin airport and they have been in quarantine.

"So there is a very low risk to Territorians, but it is important for them to note that another case has been diagnosed in the Northern Territory."