01 January 2021

There were four (4) additional cases of COVID-19 recorded in the ACT in the 24 hours to 9am today following the notification of our first case yesterday morning. This includes three cases previously reported yesterday afternoon.

There has been one (1) additional case notified this morning after reporting cut-off, who is a high school student at Gold Creek School with no known travel history outside of the ACT or identified link to the current exposure locations. Urgent genomic sequencing is under way in relation to this case. This case will be reflected in in tomorrow’s official numbers.

ACT Health is urgently working to establish a pop-up testing site at Gold Creek School for affected school communities. At this time we would ask the Gold Creek School community to wait for this site to be established before presenting for testing.

ACT Health is working with 1,862 close contacts associated with this outbreak, as at 11am today.

There are currently no COVID-19 patients in Canberra hospitals.

There have been 1,331 negative testresults returned in the 24 hours to 9am.

There were 2,097 vaccinations administered in ACT Government clinics in the 24 hours to 9am, bringing the total vaccine doses administered to 165,078.

Further information on new cases and exposure locations

The four new cases reported prior to 9am today are linked to the initial case reported yesterday.

Genomic sequencing conducted on the case reported yesterday, the man in his 20s from Gungahlin, has confirmed he was infected with the Delta variant.

Additional close and casual contact exposure locations have been identified. We ask Canberrans to please continue to check the ACT COVID-19 website regularly as the list of locations is updated as our investigations continue.

Bolstered testing capacity in the ACT

The ACT Government is planning to expand our testing capacity to support the public health response, including the pop-up at Gold Creek. Further information will be provided once these arrangements have been finalised. In the meantime, we have bolstered staffing at existing sites and the new Brindabella site opened yesterday afternoon.

As we are expecting to see long wait times at our testing clinics continue in the coming days, we remind Canberrans to only get tested if you have been directed by ACT Health to do so, or you have COVID-19 symptoms.

Volunteers from the ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT State Emergency Service and ACT Fire & Rescue Community Fire Units are providing water and distributing information to people queueing at EPIC, Weston Creek Walk-in Centre, and the Brindabella testing site.

We know that people will be concerned about having COVID-19 in the community, but we must prioritise our testing to people with symptoms and people identified as a close contact by ACT Health, so please don’t go if these two reasons don’t apply to you.

If you are going to get tested, please wear a mask, bring water and any other supplies you may need during the wait, and leave your pets at home.

Visitor restrictions at healthcare facilities

Visitor restrictions are currently in place at all hospitals, community health centres and walk-in centres in the ACT.

No visitors are permitted to enter health facilities unless in exceptional circumstances such as end of life, birthing or for paediatric care.

The decision to continue to restrict visitors to our health facilities is always a difficult one, but it ensures we can protect the health and safety of everyone. This is especially necessary for our most vulnerable, particularly patients whose health is already compromised.

Visitors are strongly encouraged to keep in touch with patients at CHS facilities via phone and/or video calls.

All COVID-19 safe principles and behaviours continue to apply to all visitors.

We understand this is difficult news, but it is necessary to keep everyone as safe as possible.

We are constantly reviewing these difficult restrictions and will make changes as soon as it is safe to do so.

For those who must attend our facilities, surgical face masks are mandatory at all health facilities across Canberra, including hospitals, community health centres and walk-in centres.

Masks will be handed out at all screening points on entry to the facility and you must wear a new mask each day.

Please also make sure you complete a digital screening tool before entering a health facility in the ACT.

You can access the tool via the ACT Health app or online at screening.covid19.act.gov.au, or by scanning the QR code you will see displayed at various locations around health services.

Stay COVID safe

It’s critical that Canberrans take every precaution they can over the coming days. That means stay at home and only go out for essential reasons.

If out in the community, wear a mask, maintain good hand hygiene, keeping your distance from other people and use the Check In CBR app.

During this seven-day period, Canberrans should only be interacting with other people in your household. Do not have any family gatherings and do not have parties with friends.

Keep up to date on the ACT COVID-19 website at www.covid19.act.gov.au