Longer Covid-19 lockdown in Canberra not such a capital idea

Canberra’s Covid-19 lockdown will be extended by at least another four weeks amid fears of mystery chains of transmission.

Mark Sarah at Canberra’s Cockington Green … the lack of a clear path of out the territory’s lockdown is a severe blow to businesses. Picture: Jamila Toderas

Canberra’s Covid-19 lockdown will be extended by at least another four weeks amid fears of mystery chains of transmission, as the territory’s Chief Minister levelled blame at the Berejiklian government for the need to continue restrictions.

As the territory recorded 22 new cases on Tuesday and hit 50 per cent of over-12s vaccinated, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the lockdown, originally to be just one week, would continue beyond its scheduled end on Friday. It will now blow out to at least nine weeks, until October 15, with only a slight easing of measures from midnight on Friday.

Social sport will be able to recommence with groups of up to five people and small businesses using click-and-collect will be able to have five employees working at one time. In-person house inspections will also be available by private appointment.

For the owner of Canberra’s only miniature village, Cockington Green Gardens, the lockdown extension, without a clear path out of restrictions, was a big blow.

Mark Sarah, whose parents started the popular tourism attraction in the ’70s, said he had expected a more detailed road map to be unveiled at Tuesday’s press conference. “I can understand it’s only early days for us in Canberra as far as cases go, and Mr Barr’s concerns, but we were looking for a bit of date-driven road map.”

Mr Sarah said 60 per cent of visitors to Cockington Green came from NSW and his business had experienced a big downturn since the Sydney outbreak began.

“As a tourism business operator, we will be one of the last industries out of this,” he said. “We are looking forward to that wonderful time of 80 per cent vaccinations and hope to be back up and running by Christmas. My heart breaks for other Canberra businesses doing it tough.”

As ACT businesses expressed disappointment at only minor easing of restrictions, Mr Barr blamed the ACT Delta crisis on NSW. “We don’t want to be in this situation, and if the virus had been controlled better in NSW, we would have been able to continue our more than year-long run of having no Covid in our community,” he said.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr confirms the ACT's first case of coronavirus.

He flagged that a “highly vaccinated Canberra was a safer Canberra” and the ACT would be in a position to gradually ease restrictions once Australia reached the vaccination targets outlined under the Morrison government’s national plan.

Under current projections, 70 per cent of over-16s are expected to be double-dosed by late October and 80 per cent vaccinated by mid-November.

“The choices are: not great, or terrible,” Mr Barr said on easing restrictions. “We’ve chosen a path that protects the health of the community while maximising the level of safe economic activity and social activity that we can conduct at this time.”

Last week, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian unveiled a road map that includes reopening businesses such as pubs, restaurants and hairdressers once 70 per cent of residents have had both doses. The state is on track to reach that by October 18, with the lockdown likely to end a week later.

ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said the number of unlinked cases was still of serious concern. She said there had been eight separate incursions of the Delta variant into the ACT since the outbreak began, with six coming from NSW and two cases from Victoria.