Sydneysiders discovered in Canberra hotel

On Saturday night, the territory’s police discovered more than 50 guests at a hotel in Braddon were from Greater Sydney

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Picture by Sean Davey.

ACT Police has forced more than 50 Sydneysiders – flouting the state’s lockdown rules – to return home after they were discovered residing in an inner-city hotel.

On Saturday, NSW’s health authorities extended the state’s stay-at-home orders to all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong and Shellharbour until next Friday, July 9. The ACT’s public health direction states that non-residents who have been in these areas since June 21 and are currently in the territory must comply with NSW’s lockdown rules.

On Saturday night, the territory’s police discovered more than 50 guests at a hotel in Braddon were from Greater Sydney. A report about a Sydney family of six staying in the hotel, who police escorted to the border, sparked the discovery of the additional hotel guests. Police ordered all guests to leave the ACT on Sunday morning.

Non-ACT residents who have recently been in the regions subject to lockdown since June 21 require an exemption to enter the ACT. Those in breach of the health order face penalties of up to $8000.

On Sunday, the ACT government imposed a mask mandate across the community in response to the Covid-19 outbreak across the border, with NSW recording 30 new cases. The state’s contact tracers are scrambling to keep on top of the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr issued an order requiring face masks to be worn in most businesses, including supermarkets, hospitality venues and gyms.