The number of close contacts linked to Canberra's Covid outbreak has grown to more than 4000, as the amount of exposure sites also continues to increase.
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Health officials on Saturday said there were 4500 people who have self-identified as close contacts linked to virus cases, an increase from the 3900 who had been known about on Friday.
The increase in close contacts also coincided with two new venues added to the list of exposure sites in the ACT.
Among them was a new time for Fiction Bar in Civic, which was linked to the first case identified in the ACT as part of the outbreak.
The new time for Fiction includes the period from between 9pm and 11.59pm on Saturday, August 7.
The exposure time for the Civic venue also includes the previously listed time of between 12am and 4.45am on Sunday, August 8.
Anyone who was at that venue needs to immediately quarantine for 14 days and get tested for Covid.
A second venue was also added to the exposure site list on Saturday by health officials, which included the Canberra Outlet Centre central food court.
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Anyone who visited the food court between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Sunday, August 8 is now considered a casual contact. There are now more than 40 exposure sites in the ACT, as authorities carry out vital contact tracing efforts. The ACT reported one new Covid case on Saturday, which was a close contact of a previously identified case.
Work is still ongoing to determine how a 14-year-old student at Gold Creek School contracted the virus, with there being no known link to other virus cases in Canberra.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said Saturday's new case being a close contact was reassuring. "The number of close contacts increases as more exposure sites are identified and the information from the Check In CBR app provides us with useful information and is working well," he said.
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Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
