ACT Health has advised people who work in high-risk settings such as hospitals, prisons and nursing homes to stay at home if they have recently returned from areas of concern in Sydney.
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The new advice comes as the ACT marks two weeks without a new COVID-19 infection.
There is just one active case in Canberra. ACT Health confirmed 808 negative tests had been completed in the past 24 hours.
ACT Health has told anyone who has recently returned from the local government areas of Fairfield, Campbelltown and Liverpool, to not attend work for a period of 14 days after leaving these regions.
The advice includes staff, volunteers and visitors of hospitals, residential aged care, correctional facilities and residential accommodation facilities which provide care to vulnerable people.
These workers, volunteers and visitors are asked to be alert for COVID-19 symptoms such as a fever and dry cough, and if symptoms develop, to immediately self-isolate at home and arrange to get tested.
ACT Health said general and community health practitioners could continue to work, but should remain vigilant, and if symptoms developed, should self-isolate and get tested.
"This [advice] is an indication that our chief health officer is concerned about what we are seeing in NSW," Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.
"In those local government areas, there is the potential for there to be community transmission of COVID-19."
Ms Stephen-Smith said the advice was intended to protect highly vulnerable people in settings where outbreaks of COVID-19 could have "devastating consequences".
The new recommendation has the potential to see employees who don't have leave entitlements choosing between attending work or forgoing income.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the government was continuing to look at some form of support payment to workers who didn't have entitlements.
But she said at this stage those cases would be handled on a case-by-case basis between the worker, government and employer.
Ms Stephen-Smith strongly encouraged all employers to make sure their staff were supported.
Several outbreaks in Sydney and the NSW South Coast led ACT chief health officer to delay further easing restrictions for at least two weeks.
NSW has recorded seven new cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hours to 8pm Thursday, after several days of double digit increases.
Six of the new cases are associated with the Thai Rock restaurant cluster, three are connected to the Our Lady of Lebanon church and three are close contacts of other confirmed cases.
One is under investigation.
Ms Stephen-Smith announced this week a new COVID-19 testing facility would open in Kambah by the end of next week.
It comes after a record number of coronavirus tests have been undertaken in the ACT in the past two weeks.
The clinic, in the northern carpark of Jenke Circuit, Kambah will be open seven days a week, from 9.30am to 5pm.