The people's house will go into public lockdown from Monday, one day ahead of the resumption of Parliament, due to the escalating COVID-19 situation around the nation - particularly in NSW, which recorded 239 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths on Thursday.

Greater Sydney will be in lockdown for at least another four weeks.

The Canberra Times has found that all senior federal politicians bar five younger MPs have been vaccinated against COVID-19 just days ahead of the upcoming sitting period, which is widely feared to have the potential to become a "super-spreader" event. Officials are most concerned about a possible COVID-19 outbreak not related to Parliament which may get into the building and then be spread nationally as parliamentarians and staff later return home.

The building will be closed to the public and all event bookings have been cancelled or postponed. A significant number of MPs and senators will be attending Parliament remotely via video-link, particularly those from the Greater Sydney region. Parliamentarians have been requested to only bring essential staff to Canberra and Parliament House.

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The Canberra Times understands many politicians are waiting until the last minute before making a decision about attendance.

But for those MPs, senators and staff who do attend the sitting period, there will be strict rules surrounding the operations of the building.

The in-house food services including the Staff Dining Room and Queen's Terrace Café will be open for takeaway only, while the Members' Guests Dining Room will be closed.

Physical distancing and mask use will be strongly encouraged, food outlets will be cashless and, like the rest of the ACT, the use of the Check In CBR app will be mandatory.

In an effort to limit contact with the Canberra community, reheatable take-home meals are to be offered through catering services such as In-Room Dining, the Queen's Terrace Café and the Staff Dining Room.

It is a health-related effort, but asking parliamentarians and staff not to step out when Parliament sits is certain to impact on Canberra businesses.

Local Canberra trading is already down around 30 to 40 per cent.

Approximately 2000 people usually work in Parliament House on a non-sitting day, and - in non-COVID-19 times - approximately 5000 people would be in and out of the building on a sitting day.

The final number of attendees is not exactly known, but it is expected to be significantly reduced to senior politicians and staff, such as ministers and shadow ministers.

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