A public health emergency order for the ACT has been extended to November 19, in response to risks posed by recurring outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria and New South Wales.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the extension of the emergency declaration is “necessary to protect Canberrans and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the ACT”.

“We know that this pandemic is far from over,” she said.

“We’ve seen in New Zealand [that] even after a hundred days with no known cases of COVID-19, they suddenly had a resurgence and new cases emerging.

Ms Stephen-Smith said the extended order meant Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman could continue to impose coronavirus restrictions for an additional 90 days.

“The public health emergency allows the Chief Health Officer to make the directions that require quarantine or … restrict the number of people gathering together,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

“We have almost 500 people in quarantine at the moment, either returned from Victoria or from overseas, or who are close contacts of a known case of COVID-19.

“[This will] enable our Chief Health Officers to be able to react quickly and make directions as they need to, to respond to the situation at the time.”

It has been more than five weeks since the last COVID-19 case was recorded in the ACT, and three weeks since the last active case.

A statement from ACT Health that while Canberra was “in a good position,” it was likely there would be further outbreaks in Australia.

“We need to remain vigilant as we closely monitor the situation across the country and manage the risks these outbreaks present to the ACT,” the statement read.

“Our recovery plan is focused on minimising risk as restrictions are eased and putting in place appropriate measures to manage these risks as best as possible.

“There are no immediate plans to ease restrictions further at this time, but we will plan for future easing of restrictions when the situation supports that.

“We will continue to take a cautious, measured approach to protect the health and safety of Canberrans and our economy.”

Quarantine restrictions remain for some ACT residents

Restrictions on returning to the ACT from certain parts of the country still exist, and ACT Health are still asking Canberrans to reconsider the need for any travel, particularly to areas with COVID-19 cases.

Any ACT resident still in Victoria can only travel to the national capital by air. They will need to notify ACT Health of their intention to return via the website as early as possible, and at least 72 hours before the intended travel date.

The requirement to quarantine for 14 days is still in place.

Any ACT resident who has visited Sydney or broader NSW should monitor the NSW Health website for regular updates on ‘hotspot’ locations.

Canberrans are also asked not to invite friends and family from greater Sydney to the ACT at this time.

ACT Health advised Canberrans to continue to:

• Avoid large crowds
• Keep 1.5 metres apart
• Practice good hand and respiratory hygiene
• Stay home if unwell
• Get tested if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

Testing numbers remain high in the ACT, with more than 67,000 negative tests now confirmed since the start of the pandemic.

There are no known active cases at this time, and no COVID-19 patients in Canberra hospitals.

The ACT’s total number of cases to date remains at 113. Of these, 110 cases have recovered, and three have died.