Canberrans should reconsider all holiday travel, the ACT's Health Minister has warned, as the territory continues to respond to growing outbreaks of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
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Anyone who has travelled from South Australia to Canberra recently will also face stay-at-home orders from 11.59pm on Tuesday, after the state announced a seven-day lockdown.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said urgent or important work travel could still proceed - but people needed to pay close attention to public health orders in the ACT and the area they were travelling to.
"If you're just travelling for leisure we would really, really discourage that at this point in time. If you do travel you make sure that you follow all the public health directions in the jurisdiction you're in," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
Anyone who leaves South Australia after 11.59pm on Tuesday will be subject to a stay-at-home order when they enter the ACT. The order will be in place until at least 11.59pm on Tuesday, July 27.
"Non-ACT residents who are seeking to travel to the ACT from South Australia after 11.59pm tonight must not do so without an approved exemption," ACT Health said in a statement.
"Exemptions will only be granted for extraordinary circumstances, and even if an exemption is approved, you will still be required to follow the stay-at-home order in the ACT.
"ACT residents must complete an online declaration form within 24 hours of the commencement of the travel restrictions."
Ms Stephen-Smith said the rules would mirror what South Australian authorities had imposed in their state.
"That is the way that we have consistently responded now when other jurisdictions have determined that they are going to introduce lockdown or stay-at-home requirements for their populations," she said.
The decision from South Australia to lock down came after the state recorded a fifth coronavirus case. The case has been traced to a restaurant in Adelaide where others infected with the virus had dined on Saturday night.
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South Australia Premier Steven Marshall said the state would "go hard and go early".
"We hate putting these restrictions in place but we have one chance to get this right," Mr Marshall said.
"We are moving as quickly as we can to slow and stop the spread of this cluster."
Meanwhile, NSW continued into its third week of lockdown, recording another 78 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday.
Victoria's lockdown will also continue until at least July 27, the state's premier, Daniel Andrews, announced on Tuesday after the state recorded nine new locally acquired cases of coronavirus.
The ACT has extended the stay-at-home order for anyone who left Victoria after July 16 until 11.59pm on July 27.
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Alex Crowe
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
