Rising hip-hop star Baker Boy has been enlisted by the Northern Territory Government to help combat ongoing confusion about the coronavirus across remote northern Australia.

Key points: Baker Boy has produced a hand-washing rap to help push COVID-19 messaging

Baker Boy has produced a hand-washing rap to help push COVID-19 messaging Arnhem Land officials say there's been widespread confusion about new social distancing regulations

Arnhem Land officials say there's been widespread confusion about new social distancing regulations Author Richard Trudgen has criticised the NT Government's approach to rolling out information

In a new song released today, Baker Boy, aka 23-year-old Milingimbi man Danzal Baker, raps about people washing their hands.

It comes as NT Aboriginal leaders and linguists call for the quick rollout of more COVID-19 information in Indigenous languages to better explain new regulations triggered by the virus.

Northern Territory MLA Yingiya Guyula said many people across Arnhem Land were "not really sure" about the reasons and meaning behind the new physical distancing regulations.

"People are still confused," he said.

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"We've been trying to pass on the message from the Government about social distancing, and people are not really sure about what that means, and what the fuss is all about."

He said since remote Aboriginal communities were placed under tight restrictions last week, many people were still gathering in large groups, such as in gambling circles, and in overcrowded housing.

"Communities out here are still not getting the message, but leaders are working on it," he said.

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Yolngu Radio concedes messaging 'very hard'

Senior Yolngu broadcaster Sylvia Nulpinditj has been working to get messages out to remote communities. ( Supplied: ARDS Yolngu Radio )

One organisation trying to cut through the confusion is ARDS Yolngu Radio, which has been working with the NT Government to get daily updates and the latest information across in Yolngu-Matha.

"It's very hard," said Sylvia Nulpinditj, a senior Yolngu Radio broadcaster.

"We want to try and make it not frightening, these messages … it's very sensitive," Ms Nulpinditj said.

"We need to be very considerate when getting the dhawu [story] out there."

One major difficulty is a common lack of belief in Western medicine and understanding about germs, said Miwatj Health chief executive Eddie Mulholland.

"Yolngu have a different value and different belief system," Mr Mulholland said.

"A lot of Yolngu people don't believe in medicine … that's a belief system. This is why it is difficult."

Around 1,200 people live at Milingimbi, a small island off the Arnhem Land coast, 450 kilometres east of Darwin. ( ABC News: Jano Gibson )

Ms Nulpinditj said Yolngu needed to "put aside" some of their value systems during this pandemic.

"If it's a government order then it's a government order. And that's hard for us to take, if you know what I mean," she said.

One major difficulty is a common lack of belief in Western medicine and understanding about germs in remote communities. ( ABC News: James Dunlevie )

Author criticises government messaging

Many communities across the NT still harbour a deep suspicion of government regulations since the NT Emergency Response — or the NT Intervention — more than a decade ago, making it difficult for some to trust the information, according to author and linguist Richard Trudgen.

"The conversation at the moment is failing massively because the people who are trying to do this have no expertise in this area," Mr Trudgen said.

"What Yolngu are saying [to me] is, 'we want answers for all the questions we have got, in our language, not somebody scripting messages from the top'."

Mr Trudgen said current government messaging was "not even scratching the surface" and criticised methods being used to roll those messages out.

He said podcasts and videos about the coronavirus produced by his Why Warriors organisation were getting stifled by what he described as an "ignorant bureaucracy".

The NT Government said information was getting out there, and that Baker Boy's new song would form a "helpful reminder".

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"We have been sharing as much information as possible," Health Minister Natasha Fyles said.

"Hopefully it's a reminder, it's lovely that Baker Boy has done this.

"It's so important that kids get your hand washing song so that you make sure you do an appropriate hand wash.

"I don't think anyone can say there's a lack of information out there around COVID-19 and the coronavirus, but if anyone has got suggestions for how best we can do that we will certainly take that on board."