The ACT will hold back on easing COVID-19 restrictions for at least a further two weeks with the decision made to continue monitoring the spread of the virus in NSW.
ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said the situation across the border still has the potential to impact the ACT, with 74 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in NSW for the week ending 21 July.
“While there are currently some good signs coming out of NSW, it is still very early days,” Dr Coleman said.
She said they will continue monitoring NSW and the situation locally for “a bit longer” before looking to ease restrictions.
“This is to ensure we are in a good position to respond to cases here in the ACT should the need arise,” she said.
“The next two weeks will also give us the opportunity to look at the learnings coming out of Victoria and NSW and review our Stage 3 restrictions to ensure these align with the latest health advice,” Dr Coleman said.
The current ACT COVID-19 restrictions as outlined in the ACT’s Easing of Restrictions roadmap will stay in place and will be assessed on a weekly basis.
“We all know what the impact of going backwards will be on our economy, and with new cases being confirmed every day across NSW, we need to be more cautious,” ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.
To date, it has been 13 days since the ACT last recorded a new case of COVID-19, with three known active cases in the Territory.
As at 4pm 22 July, there were 630 people that are known to ACT Health in quarantine.
More than 130 of the individuals quarantining are doing so after attending the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club earlier this month, following a COVID-19 outbreak sparking eight known cases at the venue.
No one is currently being treated for the virus in Canberra hospitals, while ACT residents have returned 43,965 negative tests.
ACT residents who visited any of the locations on dates set out on the NSW Health Website, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, even without symptoms.
Travel advice remains in place, advising ACT residents to avoid areas in NSW with COVID-19 outbreaks.
“The easiest way to avoid infection and reduce the risk of an outbreak in the ACT is to avoid any unnecessary travel outside of the Territory,” Mr Barr said.
