NT border controls to ease from June 15

Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced the change today to particularly aid Territory families to reunite by being allowed to quarantine at home from June 15.

People from other states will also be able to avoid the strict 14-day quarantine order in hotels by self quarantining in "suitable" commercial venues.

At the moment, arrivals are told where to stay for 14 days which costs $2500 per person or $5000 for a family of two or more people.

From June 15, those new arrivals will be COVID-19 tested twice during their 14-day quarantine period.

Mr Gunner said from he would review the success of the new self-quarantining rules from June 15 to consider when to lift the "hard borders" controls to the NT.

Mr Gunner said the monthly review of when to lift border controls will be considered weekly from June 15 rather than a monthly review.

"I am not going to pluck a date out of the air."

Mr Gunner said he was especially responding to families who had been separated by the border road blocks.

He said the June 15 change would particularly help Territory families with the new arrivals able to quarantine at home.

He said some boarding students had not been able to return home over Easter because of the 14-day hotel requirement which caused a lot of distress.

Biosecurity zone restrictions will be lifted across the Territory from June 5.

Some parks in the Katherine area will be re-opened from this Friday at noon.

"We are talking about lives here, look at America, the rest of Australia is not as safe as we are," Mr Gunner said today.

NT Police and environmental health officers would continue to monitor people quarantining at homes or other approved places from June 15.