ACT health authorities are hopeful a two-week COVID-19 testing blitz will show there are no undetected traces of the virus in Canberra, as the government looks to start easing restrictions.
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The ACT government is making testing available to anyone who has coronavirus symptoms from Friday until May 8.
Just one case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in the ACT in the past 10 days. There are still only eight active cases in the territory, with 93 people now recovered from the infection
ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said the two-week testing blitz would help authorities ascertain whether or not there was evidence of local transmission of the virus.
She was confident there were none, or very few, undiagnosed traces of the virus lingering in the community, but wanted to be "very comfortable" that was case before restrictions started to be lifted.
Dr Coleman was coy when asked which restrictions might be lifted first, saying she didn't want to "raise anybody's hopes".
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously suggested that among the first steps might be relaxing the ban on gatherings of more than two people.
Dr Coleman said the testing regime would be reviewed after the two-week blitz.
On Thursday, ACT justice minister Shane Rattenbury strongly condemned acts of racism following a increase in the number of incidents reported to the ACT Humans Rights Commission during the pandemic.
Mr Rattenbury said some of the cases included people being racially abused in the common areas of apartment complexes. There had also been reports of racist attacks on retail and healthcare workers, he said.
Asked if he thought the Asian community was being irrationally blamed for the virus, Mr Rattenbury said there was "clearly some scapegoating going on, which was very unfortunate".
Despite the recent increase in reported incidents, Mr Rattenbury said the ACT government wasn't planning to launch an anti-racism campaign to crackdown on abuse.
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Instead, he talked up the role of leaders in communicating messages of tolerance and inclusion when speaking about the virus.
"The language we use is really important in shaping the community's feel about this," he said.
- 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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Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
