Office workers might be starting to saunter away from their desks to a nearby cafe to catch up with someone for a bite to eat, while tradies down tools for a feed.

The environment we live in at the moment is, however, anything but usual.

Now, 11.45am is the time hordes of people across the ACT turn to their televisions, phones and computers.

They do this to watch public figures give us the latest breakdown on how many more people have been infected with COVID-19, and tell us what the new numbers mean.

It would be difficult to overstate how unfortunate it is that a press conference is the main event in the daily diaries of most Canberrans, as all but a small percentage of us work from home or don't work at all while awaiting the green light to go back.

There is, understandably, anguish in the community about when this will change and things will become somewhat normal again.

In these uncertain times, it is important that the authorities who have imposed lockdown restrictions, for good reason, also recognise the need to give people small freedoms for the sake of their mental health.

THE LATEST CANBERRA COVID-19 NEWS:

Something of this nature happened on Saturday, though the weather did not exactly play ball, as golf, tennis and rowing returned under changes to the ACT's lockdown rules.

These types of small sporting allowances, made available where safety plans are in place, will provide a big boost to the morale of those who are able to take advantage.

This may be with friends whose faces have almost become distant memories, or a change of scenery with family members after a long time cooped up at home.

Hopefully more things will make safe returns soon, even if the current lockdown is extended beyond mid-October.

It is, after all, obvious the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of Canberrans.

As reported today, calls to Lifeline from the ACT were up 14 per cent last week compared to the same period last year. Daily calls were up close to 40 per cent on the 2019 average.

These sobering figures should serve as a reminder to those in power that they should give people what they can, even while COVID-19 is among us and managing its spread remains paramount.

Vaccinating more people against the terrible disease is set to take the ACT to the light at the end of the tunnel, but flickers of hope along the way will help us get there.

So, while 11.45am seems to set to loom large on Canberra calendars for some time to come, let's give people more times of the day - and a few things other than COVID-19 numbers - to focus on as well.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: