ACT health authorities will consider advice around scrapping isolation rules for close contacts and what measures would be appropriate in the lead-up to winter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Leaders agreed at a national cabinet meeting on Friday to remove the isolation requirement as soon as possible with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee to be consulted on the appropriate transition for each jurisdiction.
The territory government has not made any decisions around its timeline for ditching the rules. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said decisions on public health settings would be based on the latest health advice.
"The AHPPC will meet in the near future to make recommendations on key settings over winter. Further details of any proposed measures and the implications will then be considered out-of-session by national cabinet," Mr Barr said in a statement.
Canberra health authorities are working on plans to respond to increased demand, which is likely to come in the winter months.
READ MORE:
Mr Barr again reaffirmed restrictions may need to be tightened if the situation deteriorates or if there is a new variant.
"The ACT may need to tighten health measures in response to a new COVID-19 variant, particularly if increased transmission leads to pressure on health system capacity," he said.
"Any new restrictions will be proportionate to the level of risk, with a focus on reducing impacts on our hospital and public health systems and protecting vulnerable Canberrans."
ACT health authorities are preparing for a rise in COVID cases as the BA.2 Omicron sub-lineage is expected to become the dominant strain in the territory.
But while case numbers are expected to increase, authorities don't anticipate a rise in hospitalisations.
Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.
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:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram