Children and young people are disproportionately contracting COVID-19 in Canberra as the ACT’s outbreak grows to 83 cases, with 16 new cases recorded overnight.

Eleven of the new cases are linked to existing cases, with five still under investigation.

Nine of the 83 total cases are still under investigation.

One of the new cases is linked to a Turner childcare centre. But health authorities confirmed no child from the centre is infected. 

No cases related to the current outbreak have been hospitalised to date.

Canberra’s light rail, bus routes and a Belconnen general practice are among new close contact exposure sites.

NSW has also recorded two new cases at Queanbeyan, which borders the ACT.

Canberra has notched up more than 240 exposure sites while 19,200 people have identified themselves as close contacts.

Children make up 43 per cent of the ACT’s cases, while 46 per cent are in people aged 18 to 44.

Ten per cent of cases are in 45 to 64-year-olds, while people aged 65 and older make up one per cent.

An all-time Territory record level of testing was set once again yesterday with 8,796 swabs taken.

“That’s an extraordinary level of testing,” ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said today.

Nearly 33,000 tests have been conducted since lockdown commenced a week ago, roughly eight per cent of the ACT population.

Additional testing facilities are being stood up at Erindale to offer targeted testing.

A total of 21,330 people are now in quarantine in the ACT.

Mr Barr said he’s encouraged Canberra isn’t seeing an exponential explosion in numbers and by the fact only nine of 83 cases remain under investigation.

“It’s unlikely we could just snap back to the level of restrictions that were in place prior to the arrival of the virus into the ACT,” he told reporters.

“There will need to be gradual steps forward.”

Mr Barr welcomed NSW’s extended its statewide lockdown until at least August 28 as Canberra remains vulnerable. 

“There is no world in which you can just seal Canberra up in a bubble,” he said.

Despite the outbreak, federal parliament is going ahead with a two-week sitting starting on Monday.

Click here for more ACT COVID-19 news.

Denholm Samaras, with AAP

Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.