Canberra lockdown ordered after Covid-19 cases in ACT

More virus cases have been recorded in Canberra as the national capital enters a seven-day lockdown, with the source of infection a mystery.

Canberra is set to enter a seven-day lockdown after four cases of Covid-19 were detected in the territory, ACT officials have said.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the lockdown was triggered by a positive case who was infectious in the community, as well as positive wastewater detections. The source of the infection is still unknown.

Later in the afternoon, chief health officer Kerryn Coleman told ABC Radio Canberra there had been three additional local cases.

All of them were close contacts of the first case.

“These were people who had prolonged and repeated exposure to our case,” she said.

The first confirmed case was a man in his 20s, living in Gungahlin. He was thought to have been infectious in the community since Sunday.

“This decision is the result of a positive case in the territory, a case who has been infectious in the community. We also have positive wastewater detections around the ACT,” Mr Barr said.

“We do not currently know the source of the infection, but extensive investigation has been underway for many hours. This is the most serious public health risk that we have faced in the territory this year – really, since the beginning of the pandemic.”

The lockdown began at 5pm on Thursday.

“We have said throughout the outbreak in Greater Sydney that we would act quickly and decisively. We have seen that a short and immediate lockdown limits the potential spread of the virus, and is the best path to avoiding longer and more damaging lockdowns,” Mr Barr said.

“We all have a collective responsibility to each other, to make sure we are successful.”

The infections were the first cases of coronavirus in Canberra for more than a year.

The ACT had not faced stay-at-home orders since April last year, when the territory went through a lockdown that lasted for five weeks.

Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr confirmed the lockdown.

Under the lockdown, Canberrans will only be allowed to leave home to shop for essentials and medical supplies, to undertake essential work or study if it cannot be done at home, and to be vaccinated.

Childcare will remain open for parents and guardians who need to undertake essential work or study.

Outdoor exercise will be limited to one hour per day.

General retail will be closed and hospitality venues will only be able to operate takeaway services.

Mandatory mask wearing will also be reintroduced.

“We will be asking any businesses that have to remain open to actively prevent any browsing in their stores,” Mr Barr said.

The chief minister also urged Canberrans to stay within their own area during lockdown but has stopped short of mandating a five-kilometre radius to limit mobility.

A new testing clinic is being set up and will be available later today at the Brindabella Business Park, and capacity and operating hours will be significantly increased at the Weston Creek Walk-In Centre and EPIC drive through clinic.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith urged ACT residents to remain calm and not engage in panic buying.

“My first comment to Canberrans is that this is a serious situation and we want you to take it seriously. We also want you to stay calm and be thoughtful about your actions,” she said.

“We have already heard we are starting to see panic buying in supermarkets. Like every other jurisdiction has had to do, we need to remind you that supermarkets will remain open. Grocery shopping will continue to be allowed during the lockdown. There is no need for panic buying.”

On support for businesses and workers, Mr Barr said he had spoken to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and the Prime Minister.

“I spoke to the Prime Minister and Treasurer Frydenberg this morning, prior to this press conference, and have been able to enact the same business and community economic supports as have applied to the other states and territories where lockdowns of this kind have been put in place,” he said.

“The Prime Minister and the Treasurer were very supportive of those arrangements being put in place; it was a very straightforward discussion.”

Further details in relation to support packages will be made available on the ACT Covid-19 website.

When asked if there were measures the ACT could have taken to avoid a positive case, Mr Barr said the risk of Covid-19 could never be completely eliminated.

“The measures that we put in place through the 18 months of the pandemic have been very effective, but no one in Australia has been able to completely eliminate the possibility of the virus coming into their jurisdiction; even the island of Tasmania has been exposed at various points. Even in remote parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia,” he said.

“That was never a viable option to completely eliminate risk, you just cannot do that. So the mechanisms that we put in place have been very effective, for more than one year, but this is a tough virus.”

More than half of Canberrans aged 15 and older have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 25.9 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated.