07 July 2021
In line with the NSW Government extension of the stay-at-home requirement for Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour, ACT Health will be extending the ACT stay-at-home order for people coming to the ACT from these areas of NSW, until at least 11.59pm on Friday 16 July 2021.
No travel to and from Greater Sydney should take place during this time.
Although the COVID-19 situation in Sydney is ongoing, the situation in regional NSW remains stable with no new cases and a very small number of COVID-19 exposure locations. As a result, the mandatory use of face masks in certain indoor settings and when using public transport will end later this week, at 11.59pm on Friday 9 July 2021. As always, if the COVID-19 situation in NSW or the ACT was to change in the coming days, we will reassess.
Although no longer mandatory from Saturday 10 July, with the revocation of the public health direction, the use of face masks is still encouraged when in spaces where physical distancing is not possible, such as public transport or crowded indoor venues. People should use their own judgement on when to use face masks in these circumstances, and continue to follow the advice on mask wearing in high-risk setting, such as such as hospitals and health facilities and residential aged care facilities.
In addition, face masks continue to be mandatory for all domestic travel and while in the Canberra Airport. People under a stay-at-home requirement must also continue to adhere to face mask usage when out in the community.
We would like to thank the ACT community for their strong cooperation with the recent requirement to wear face masks. This is the first time we have introduced a face mask requirement, and the swift response from the community has been very positive.
There may be a time in the future where face masks may become mandatory again due to the COVID-19 situation. Face masks are an important line of defence against COVID-19 in addition to the regular COVID safe behaviours of checking-in, physically distancing where possible, practising good hand and respiratory hygiene, staying home if unwell and getting tested for COVID-19 if experiencing even the mildest of symptoms.
We will continue to monitor the situation in the ACT and in our neighbouring jurisdictions to inform all future COVID-19 decision making to keep Canberra safe and strong.