The new rules will align more closely with existing provisions in place for primary and secondary schools across the territory.

Staff and children identified as close contacts will be required to present a negative PCR or rapid test taken within the previous 48 hours to return to early childhood care.

Acting chief health officer Dr Vanessa Johnston made the announcement via a Facebook livestream on Wednesday morning.

READ ALSO:

She said the government had previously taken a more conservative approach in child care settings because children aged zero to five were not yet eligible for vaccination.

"But what we have seen is not a significant number of cases in that group and also certainly not an uptick in disease in the age group," Dr Johnston said.

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: