Police could be checking permits as people come to ACT: Health

There are questions over what role police will play in enforcing travelling permits allowing people to come to the ACT.

On Monday morning, ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman indicated on ABC radio that police could be checking permits at the ACT borders for the first time throughout the pandemic.

The permits are a quarantine requirement imposed on people returning from hotspots.

However, ACT Policing subsequently said they were still working with Health officials to determine exactly what role they would play. Police have previously described a border closure as a logistical nightmare.

The Canberra Times has sought urgent clarification from officials on what role police will play, in particular at the border with NSW.

Dr Coleman said earlier police would have a presence but it was yet to be determined exactly how it would run.

"We are not planning to man the border 24 hours but we will have a presence ... and people can expect that some people may be asked to present their declaration if they come from those regions," she told ABC Radio Canberra

"We are working with police this morning and we will be working with them on how best to support Canberrans coming home."

Dr Coleman said returning residents were required to complete an online declaration form and should be prepared to hand it to officers at the border.

"This is a fast-moving situation and our effort is not to try and prevent Canberra residents from coming home," she said.

"It's to prevent what we see as travel over Christmas that might cause seeding."

Residents returning to Canberra from greater Sydney, the Central Coast or Wollongong local government areas since midnight Sunday must enter two weeks in quarantine. Dr Coleman said people from those regions should not come to the ACT unless essential and must apply for an exemption.

The Illawarra-Shoalhaven region was included in Sunday night's announcement but has since been removed from the list of affected areas.

The Wollongong LGA remains on that list, but there are no border restrictions on the broader Shoalhaven region.

The northern beaches cluster grew to almost 70 cases on Sunday, with the NSW Premier expected to announce several more infections on Monday morning.

Dr Coleman has advised against travel to NSW as the situation continues to change rapidly. She hasn't ruled out expanding the quarantine zones as more cases are detected in the state.