On 14 September the ACT’s lockdown was extended for at least another month, meaning it will run until 15 October at the earliest.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the decision to extend the ACT lockdown was based on the public health risk that remains locally and regional activity after a case was detected in Yass overnight.
Some minor amendments to public health directions will come into effect from 11.59pm Friday 17 September:
- Small businesses who are currently permitted to operate a click and collect or click and deliver service will be allowed to have up to five people in the business at any one time or one person per four square metres.
- The recommencement of in-person house inspections by private appointment. Only household members will be permitted to attend an appointment with one real estate agent.
- The recommencement of outdoor social and recreational sport with up to five people. This does not permit organised competition, coaching or training to recommence. Indoor sport remains closed.
Gatherings in the home – including in outdoor areas – will still not be allowed. The previously announced business and community financial measures will also be extended.
READ MORE: Financial support during longer lockdown
ACT Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerryn Coleman, said the decision was “clearly not the decision that we wanted to make, but it is the one that we needed to make to control the spread of COVID-19”.
“At this time the combination of unknown sources of transmission I the community and people yet to be vaccinated means that this risk is too high,” she said.
As of 14 September, over two thirds of total cases have been infectious in the community for some or all of their infectious period.
A “mid-point review” of the lockdown settings will be conducted in a fortnight.
Mr Barr said his priority over the next four weeks of lockdown is to “vaccinate as many people as possible”.
“This next month is a period of uncertainty and the next few weeks will be challenging,” he said
“What we are certain of through is that a highly vaccinated Canberra is a safer Canberra.”
In that time nearly 50,000 Canberrans will receive first dose of Pfizer through an ACT Government clinic, with a further 35,000 to receive second dose.
Tens of thousands more will receive a first or second AstraZeneca jab via local GPs and pharmacists.
Additionally, the ACT Government has developed a plan for first four weeks of term four in local school that will see year 12s return to on-campus learning from the start of term 4, Tuesday 5 October.
Year 11 will return from week 3, Monday 18 October, subject to health situation not deteriorating in the interim.
Pre-school to year 10 will continue remote learning for at least first four weeks of term four.
READ MORE: Back to school in Term 4
Plans for the ACT’s pathway forward were also released Tuesday; a one-page document that broadly outlines the already widely reported phases of the Doherty Institute model with some mention of what will be considered when the thresholds are met without any specifics.
“The Chief Minister has been spruiking for weeks now that today he would provide a roadmap and plan for a safe transition out of lockdown but all he offered was a four-week extension with little regard for Canberrans doing it tough,” Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee said.
Mr Barr told journalists that as the 70 and 80 per cent thresholds are met, restrictions would be eased to involve measures like density limits, gathering size limits, face-to-face learning, and check-in requirements.
“People will be familiar with this because we did it last year,” he said.
Dr Kerryn Coleman said further easing is being considered over the next two weeks and will be announced publicly “as soon as we possibly can”.
“We are going as fast as we can in reviewing the ever-changing evidence base,” she said, “but we don’t want to raise false hope and we don’t want to give false ideas to people.
“My experience is that I don’t want people to be working toward something that we aren’t very sure about at this point in time.”
Ms Lee said the lack of detail is disheartening for struggling business owners who have seen very few changes to restrictions or financial support on the back of the ACT lockdown being extended further.
“We are hearing from Canberrans who are on the brink of seeing their lifetime of work going down the drain. They are crying out for some support; they are pleading for some certainty and a plan for a safe transition out of lockdown,” she said.
“This is yet another blow; another slap in the face for small businesses who have been absolutely forgotten.”
Mr Barr said his government has regularly consulted with Canberra’s business community, hosting a daily “ACT Government business hook up” with local peak industry associations.
“I don’t think there would be a jurisdiction in Australia that would have a closer level of engagement with all of those industry peak bodies,” he said, “we’ve been engaged from the start.
“Their views have enabled various specific smaller tweaks and some of the larger ones associated for example with the small business extension.”
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