Released 31/08/2021 - Joint media release
The ACT’s lockdown measures will be extended until midnight on Friday 17 September due to the ongoing public health risk in the Territory.
We are asking Canberrans to continue staying at home and minimise close contact with others to reduce the transmission potential of the virus.
The Chief Health Officer has advised that our lockdown has been effective in reducing the spread of the virus. We have reduced what is known as “the effective reproduction rate” to below one.
But, we are yet to see the public health risk reduce to the point that can safely end the lockdown. As we have seen across the country, the delta strain of the virus is highly infectious and difficult to contain. It is a slow process and will take more time.
As part of the extension of the lockdown, the Chief Health Officer has recommended some further, minor amendments to the public health directions to commence from 5pm Thursday 2 September.
This includes doubling the outdoor exercise and recreation time to two hours each day. People who work predominantly outdoors such as gardeners and landscapers will be able to return to work under COVID-safe requirements and very small funerals and weddings can be held with COVID-safe measures in place.
A partial reopening of the construction sector will commence under stringent COVID-safe requirements from Friday 3 September. These requirements will be actively enforced by Worksafe ACT and ACT Police.
The Government will continue detailed work this week with industry stakeholders on the strict COVID-safe measures that would allow other parts of the sector, such as residential construction, to recommence from 10 September subject to the public health advice at the time.
With the extension of the lockdown, the decision has been made to not return to face-to-face learning in ACT public schools during Term 3. The ACT Education Directorate is currently planning for how our public schools will operate during Term 4, with advice from the Chief Health Officer.
The extension of the ACT’s lockdown will be supported by an increase in the ACT Government and the Commonwealth Government’s economic support measures.
We have again worked with the Commonwealth Treasurer’s office to increase the COVID-19 Business Support Grants scheme to a maximum of $20,000 for employing businesses and $7,500 for non-employing eligible businesses. More than 3,200 local businesses have already submitted an application for the scheme, which will be administered by the ACT Government.
The Commonwealth Treasurer’s office has also confirmed that Canberrans who have lost income during the lockdown can continue to access the COVID-19 Disaster Payment through Services Australia during the lockdown period.
Beyond financial support, we are also developing COVID-safe plans to allow more retail businesses to operate under a click and collect model during the extended lockdown period.
- Statement ends -
Andrew Barr, MLA | Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases