Federal police recruits who were seen in a large gathering at its college in breach of social distancing restrictions could be fined, the ACT's Health Minister said.
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A large group of AFP recruits were seen in an apparent party at a college in Barton on Friday night.
Police are investigating the incident, saying recruits were briefed on social distancing requirements.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said fines of up to $8000 could apply for individuals at the gathering who breached social distancing rules.
She did not say whether the AFP itself could be fined over the incident.
"I think it's really unfortunate and tells us that our message is not getting through to younger people," Ms Stephen-Smith told ABC radio on Monday morning.
"This is really concerning, and there's potentially an attitude among young people that if they get COVID-19 they would only get a mild illness and they will be fine.
"We're seeing stories of healthy, young people who have died. It is a very serious illness."
Ms Stephen-Smith said the gathering represented a serious breach of social distancing guidelines, which bans gatherings outdoors of more than two people.
"These people may have thought that they were living in the same place and that it was okay to have a party, and that's not the way it works," she said.
"There's the view among young people that they're bullet proof but we enforce the message [about social distancing]."
It comes as the ACT has expanded testing for COVID-19 to those who may not meet previous testing requirements.
A random selection of people who turn up at the Weston Creek walk-in centre or the drive-thru testing centre at EPIC will be tested for the virus if they don't meet requirement such as being a close contact of a confirmed case or having travelled overseas.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the demand for testing had dropped in recent days, allowing for testing to be expanded.
"There's been obviously fewer people returning people from overseas, and fewer people meeting the criteria, so now we're able to do more testing," she said.
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The Heath Minister still urged for those who may meet the criteria for testing to turn up to testing centres.
The increase in testing will also allow for health officials to investigate for potential cases of community transmission in the ACT.
While there have been no cases of community transmission in Canberras as of April 6, two cases are under investigation for how they contracted coronavirus.
"We really want to understand whether we are seeing community transmission in the ACT," Ms Stephen-Smith.
"If we were seeing widespread community transmission, we would see more cases in hospitals [of people with unexplained high fever or respiratory issues]."
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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