The ACT lockdown will formally end Friday 15 October, as outlined in the Pathway Forward, with Chief Minister Andrew Barr today announcing some slight changes to exactly how restrictions will ease.

From this Friday gathering limits outside will increase to 25 people while up to five people will be permitted to visit another household.

Licensed venues will be permitted to have 25 patrons in attendance across the venue or one per four square metres, whichever is the lesser.

Alternatively, 50 patrons can utilise outdoor spaces only or one person per four square metres, whichever is lesser.

ACT hairdressers and personal care services can reopen with up to five clients at one time.

Outdoor sporting team training can resume with up to 25 people in each outdoor space.

Swimming pools will reopen with no more than 25 swimmers across the venue and only two swimmers per lane.

Essential retail – which includes hardware, building services, agricultural & rural supplies, pet stores, and office supplies – can have 2 people from same household in a store at a time by booked appointment.

While non-essential retail will predominantly operate under click-and-collect or click-and-deliver services until 29 October, these businesses can have up to two people from the same household into a retail store at any one time for booked appointments only.

“This is to allow activities like cars to be test driven, and clothes and shoes to be tried on,” the Chief Minister said.

Free parking offered in ACT Government car parks at the start of lockdown will remain in place “for a couple of weeks to come”.

Mr Barr said the decision to ease restrictions and end the ACT’s lockdown has been spurred on by high vaccination rates.

72 per cent of the eligible ACT population is now double vaccinated, with the Chief Minister noting first dose rates indicate 99 per cent of Canberrans will be fully vaccinated by “the end of November”.

Despite this, Mr Barr warned case numbers will rise as restrictions ease.

“There will be pressures on the health system, there will be Canberrans who will need acute healthcare even if they are fully vaccinated,” he said.

Cross-border travel into ACT expanded

Cross-border travel arrangements with NSW will also change when lockdown ends 15 October, at which point the ACT will expand the standing exemption border postcodes to allow travel from a larger area of immediately surrounding NSW.

Towns such as Braidwood, Goulburn, Cooma and up toward the Snowy region as well as Gundagai will be added.

NSW residents in these regions in addition to the postcodes already covered will be permitted to travel to and from the ACT to undertake work or study, to access schools or essential shopping, and healthcare without needing to apply for an exemption.

Residents in these postcodes can also travel into the ACT to visit family and friends under the existing ACT gathering limits.

Those visiting the Territory for a permitted reason will be able to enjoy the wider freedoms available to ACT residents.

“You’re not coming in to go to the pub,” Mr Barr said.

“But if you are here for work or one of the agreed reasons then the range of activities you can undertake when you are here includes those that other Canberrans will be able to enjoy from Friday.”

Additionally, a new notice from the NSW Government means residents in these postcodes will no longer be subject to stay-at-home orders upon returning from the ACT.

ACT residents still cannot enter NSW unless they are undertaking essential work, accessing a childcare arrangement, or providing a care to an individual.

NSW also have a vaccination requirement that excludes unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people from travel and access to non-essential activities.

The Chief Minister said work is continuing with the NSW Government on common travel arrangements “as the vaccination rates of both jurisdictions climb above 80 per cent fully vaccinated.

“These more significant changes are expected to come into effect from late October,” Mr Barr said.

“It could be that us coming out of lockdown on Friday triggers some further easing of their restrictions as it relates to regional NSW.”

Mr Barr said trips to Sydney or the NSW South Coast look “very likely in November”.

More details on the expanded postcodes will be provided on the ACT Government’s COVID-19 website.

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