Canberrans must be seated in pubs and cafes, and dancing will be banned, under rules reimposed to curb escalating case numbers.
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Limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings could also return after the ACT suffered its first daily case increase of more than 1000 since the pandemic began.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the growing caseload - the ACT recorded 1246 new infections on Friday - combined with a worrying situation in NSW demanded swift action.
Mr Barr announced licenced venues - including bars, nightclubs, and cafes - will be required to ensure their patrons were sitting while eating and drinking from midday Saturday.
"Mandatory face masks, density limits and other public health measures for businesses and indoor venues will also continue," he said.
"Events will continue with ACT Health working closely with event organisers to ensure COVID safety plans are in place."
The ACT will continue to review the situation, with the reintroduction of indoor and outdoor gathering limits on the table.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith warned the pandemic "isn't going away", urging Canberrans to reconsider the size of gathering in their home.
"We do need everyone to continue to be responsible in the way they manage their social events," she said.
It came hours after a significant reversal from NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, who announced a host of restrictions will return to slow the highly-infectious Omicron variant.
With the state's testing regime buckling under demand for PCR tests, NSW will consider positive rapid antigen test results as official COVID-19 cases.
Mr Perrottet warned the state will face a "difficult few weeks", with its modelling predicting cases will peak at the end of January. "This is a challenging time, not just in NSW, but around the world," he said.
"The efforts that our people have made has kept NSW safe, has kept NSW open."
Dancing and singing will be banned in hospitality venues - including bars, restaurants, and nightclubs - until at least January 27.
With Omicron spreading rapidly among young people, Mr Perrottet said the measures were designed to "minimise mingling".
Those already subject to vaccine mandates will be required to receive a third dose, though no deadline has been set.
Mr Perrottet had come under fire for scrapping most restrictions on December 15, as Omicron spread.
But he flatly rejected suggestions the move contributed to the growing caseload, which has seen more than 100,000 cases reported in three days.
"I think you would see exactly the same, and that's been borne out right across the country and the world right now," he said.
NSW will consider positive rapid antigen test results as COVID-19 cases from next week. People who tested positive via a rapid antigen test would be required to isolate for seven days.
Their household contacts would also be considered as a COVID-19 case if they returned a positive rapid test result.
Positive rapid test results have previously needed to be confirmed via a PCR test but, with queues bulging across the country, national cabinet on Wednesday agreed to waive that requirement.
Experts have warned a shift away from PCR testing, more accurate and conducted by health authorities, will make official data particularly untrustworthy.
In a bid to ward off that threat, Mr Perrottet revealed positive results will also need to be registered via Services NSW. Victoria launched a similar system on Friday.
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