For Jessica Carey, 4, waiting for Saturday was a bit like waiting for Christmas. For weeks, the coronavirus pandemic had forced playgrounds to be closed as part of efforts to stop the deadly virus' spread.
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Jessica's dad, Matt Carey, said it had been good to see people out again on Saturday. They met up with some friends whose children play together, which had been exciting after the time spent inside.
"It's almost kind of like a bitter sweet. You get quite excited and then realise there's still limitations that mean it's not back to what it was. But you do also know that it's got to take time to go back, it can't all go back at once. If it backfires, we'll be back cooped up again. It's a strange feeling, actually," Mr Carey said.
"But it's better than going the other way."
No new coronavirus cases were recorded in the ACT for the 12th consecutive day, but health authorities have continued to issue warnings against complacency.
Over the past 24 hours there were 361 test results received, according to ACT Health, all of which returned negative results. There has been 13,747 tests conducted in the ACT to date.
The ACT's total remains at 107 cases, with none active.
ACT Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Vanessa Johnston said it was imperative everybody acted responsibly to help keep the community safe.
"That means avoiding large crowds, keeping a distance of 1.5 metres from others, maintaining good hand hygiene with everything we do, and staying at home if unwell," Dr Johnston said.
"If you're heading to the shops - know what you want, get in and buy it, and get out as soon as you can.
"If you're going out to a local restaurant or café - keep your distance when you order and wait for takeaway, and be ready to change plans if a venue is full.
"And for families heading to their local playground - ensure there are no more than 10 people in the playground area at one time, take wipes and hand sanitiser, and ensure kids wash their hands before and after playing."
Rachel Britton's five-year-old daughter Chelsea and seven-year-old son Tom also got a chance to return to the park on Saturday, which had overwhelmed the pair.
"It's a really nice feeling to be able to take them to the park and see a smile on their face and run around and be kids again, to be honest," Ms Britton said.
Ms Britton said managing children learning from home, working and being a mother while her husband, a truck driver, went to work had been tough, but she hoped the experience meant people would enjoy their time spent with family.
Teenagers Darcy Tobler, Jamie Goodwin and Ronin Lindenmayer got to catch up for the first time in two months on Saturday, taking to the Farrer mountain bike track.
Tobler, 15, said it had been hard adjusting to restrictions on gatherings.
He said as restrictions eased he was looking forward "mainly [to] just being more social because it's just hard being by yourself all the time".
At Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, annual pass holders Sue and Terry Burgess took their first opportunity to get back out for a walk through the park.
The pair have become regular walkers since retiring three years ago, never far away from the Reserve at their home in Gordon.
Mrs Burgess said the start to 2020 had been a poor one, with some big changes needed.
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"Because both my daughter and her husband work and the granddaughter can't go to school, they've had to move in with me, so we can babysit the granddaughter, so they can go off to work. It's just too hard. And we've had to sit there with Sam and homeschool her. That was a big difference," Mrs Burgess said.
She said 2020 should be rebooted and everyone given another go at the year. "I'd like to start again. Just stop the world and we'll start again. Reverse. Be Superman and go around backwards," Mrs Burgess 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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