The NT Government is cancelling its non-essential trips to remote communities as it tries to prevent the spread of coronavirus to vulnerable populations.

Key points: The NT Government has finalised its COVID-19 Remote Communities Plan

The NT Government has finalised its COVID-19 Remote Communities Plan The plan recommends NT Government staff and NGOs reconsider non-essential remote trips

The plan recommends NT Government staff and NGOs reconsider non-essential remote trips It also says people recently in high-risk countries should not visit remote areas

So far there have been no cases of COVID-19 in any of the NT's 72 remote Aboriginal communities and 500 homelands.

But health authorities are deeply concerned about the impact an outbreak would have because of high rates of chronic disease in Indigenous communities and the difficulty of isolating people who live in overcrowded housing.

The NT Health Department this week finalised its COVID-19 Remote Communities Plan, which includes the recommendation that "elective community visits" be reconsidered by government personnel and non-government service providers.

"We've asked the NT public service to consider their need to travel into remote communities," NT deputy chief health officer Dianne Stephens said.

"And from that perspective we are cancelling non-essential trips out bush and minimising the amount of traffic that's going to go in and out of communities."

The World Health Organisation said its greatest concern was the potential for the virus to spread to countries "with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it". ( Reuters via China Daily )

The COVID-19 Remote Communities Plan also recommends that anyone who has travelled overseas to a high or moderate-risk coronavirus country in the previous fortnight not visit remote communities "unless absolutely essential and cleared with the health service".

Dr Stephens said this meant some travellers should remain in Darwin, or other regional hubs, before going to remote regions.

"We are asking them to self-quarantine, or home quarantine, in one of the major centres that they come through," she said.

Jurisdictions across Australia are ramping up their ability to test for the virus. ( ABC News )

'Take every precaution'

The plan also recommends that people who have recently been to low-risk countries take "a very cautious approach".

"We are saying to people through this plan, really think about your need to be in remote communities if you have travelled overseas," Dr Stephens said.

"And certainly, if you are not well, don't go out there. Take every precaution."

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the Government was not asking all workers to cancel their upcoming remote trips.

"What we have said is if it's not essential, then reconsider whether you need to make that trip or not," he said.

"Obviously, police are essential services. They're still running. Other departments will probably still go depending on why they need to go.

"All we are saying is if you don't need to go, maybe reconsider it, but if it's important we still want you to travel.

"So there's no ban on travel. We are just saying apply one more level of thought about whether you make that trip or not."

Nearly 3,000 people live on Groote Eylandt. ( ABC News: Jano Gibson )

On Groote Eylandt, 650 kilometres south-east of Darwin, the CEO of the Anindilyakwa Land Council said he was worried coronavirus would spread rapidly if it were to reach the island.

"It's a bit like one of those cruise ships where you had an infection that just spread because it's essentially like a Petri dish," Mark Hewitt said.

"And we think Groote has the potential to be like that."

He said he believed there was an increased risk of coronavirus reaching Groote Eylandt because hundreds of fly-in, fly-out workers arrive each week for shifts at the GEMCO manganese mine.

"We know workers live up in Bali, Thailand, Indonesia, but come down to work on Groote, and other people [come here] from all around Australia," Mr Hewitt said.

"So what we've got to do is have protocols in place so we mitigate against any person carrying the virus coming to Groote, or [have them] isolated before they reach the island."

Self-isolation 'next to impossible' in remote communities

Mr Hewitt said if someone contracted COVID-19 on the island, it would be difficult to isolate them.

"Traditional owners still live in overcrowded housing, [have] poor hygiene [and] diet, depleted immune systems," he said.

"This concept of home isolation in case of somebody coming down with the virus would be next to impossible."

Independent MLA Scott McConnell, who represents the remote electorate of Stuart, said he was also sceptical of the ability to control the spread of coronavirus in communities.

"The idea that someone is going to be able to self-isolate in a house that has 20 or more occupants … that just seems to me to be advice that makes no sense."

Dr Stephens acknowledged the challenges and said the COVID-19 Remote Communities Plan allowed for different actions depending on each community's capabilities.

"Some communities just won't have that capability and will need an early evacuation plan," she said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 3 minutes 56 seconds 3 m 56 s Will the coronavirus push Australia into recession? Alan Kohler takes a look ( Alan Kohler )

Among its other recommendations, the COVID-19 Remote Communities Plan says consideration should be given to the relocation of "vulnerable populations" such as dialysis patients to regional centres.

It also says health centres should be stocked with enough medical supplies to last at least three weeks in the event of supply interruptions.

NLC CEO Marion Scrymgour said restricted movement into communities was "a last resort". ( Mark Graham, file photo: AAP )

On Monday, Northern Land Council (NLC) CEO Marion Scrymgour said land councils would help inform communities about measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

There is concern that fly-in, fly-out workers at the GEMCO mine could increase the risk of coronavirus spreading to Groote Eylandt. ( ABC News )

"We'll use whatever tool in our armoury that we can use, whether it's translating simple messages in language in the different areas," she said.

"We are trying to get people not to be alarmed by this but to try to keep people calm at the moment."

The NLC will hold an executive meeting on Thursday to discuss any further measures it might take.

"We don't want to stop people from going into communities … but we'll use whatever means we can to protect our communities," Ms Scrymgour said.

"The land councils can restrict that movement of visitors going into communities and that's a last resort and we don't want to do that."