Canberrans will need to check in using the Check In CBR app at more venues around the Territory as the ACT Government ramps up its response to the COVID-19 situation in NSW and the rest of Australia.
Although the ACT once again recorded no new cases of COVID-19 today, Thursday 1 July, the Territory remained at a setting of high alert, said Chief Minister Andrew Barr. More than 40,000 people have declared they travelled to hotspots in recent weeks.
As a result, Canberrans will need to check in at retail settings and public transport from midnight tonight. This will be mandatory within the next fortnight: businesses have until noon on Thursday 15 July to implement the new requirements.
Retail settings include supermarkets, petrol stations, takeaway services, clothing and footwear stores, and department stores. Transport services include buses, light rail, taxis, and rideshare services.
Workplaces are not included, but the government encourages offices to sign up if people come and go, have visitors, or staff work different hours.
Also from midnight, people must check in whenever they enter a business or venue. Until now, the instruction has been to check in if you will be somewhere for 15 minutes or more.
“Of course, this is a habit we’ve all become used to; this provides real certainty around when it is required – which is always and everywhere,” said Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith.
So far, 10,668 venues are registered for Check In CBR; the app has been downloaded nearly 817,000 times; and 18.3 million check-ins have been made since the app was launched in September – including more than one million check-ins in the last six days.
The Check In CBR app sends data to ACT Health’s database; if there is a case, the government can immediately trace contacts. Data is deleted after 28 days.
“It’s a really important part of the toolbox for our fantastic disease detectives,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
As well, the ACT’s mask mandate is set to continue for at least the next few days; health authorities will assess the NSW situation over the weekend.
“There’s still several days of elevated risk ahead of us, and so we will continue with our current policy settings in relation to mask wearing in the ACT for the next several days at least,” Mr Barr said.
The on-spot penalty for non-compliance is $1,000 for an individual; $8,000 if taken to court. Penalties are higher for businesses.
The government plans to introduce a smaller on-the-spot fine. “We think [$1,000] is a bit high for not wearing a mask,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
More than 6,000 tests have been conducted over the last five days. Wait times are now down to half an hour at both of the major testing centres – EPIC and Weston Creek.
Mr Barr said he was pleased with the community response.
“They’ve all gone above and beyond what is required,” he said. “Canberrans understand the risks, and take this seriously.”
- Nick Fuller and Libby Kimber
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