08 August 2021

In response to the Queensland Government’s announcement today, the ACT Government will lift the stay-at-home requirement for the 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in South East Queensland but introduce a stay-at-home requirement for both Cairns Regional Council and Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council.

South East Queensland

People who been subject to stay-at-home requirements as a result of being in South East Queensland will be released from the stay-at-home requirement from 4:00pm Sunday 8 August 2021 unless they have also spent any time in Cairns Regional Council and/or Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council on or after 29 July 2021.

The South East Queensland LGAs for which stay-at-home requirements will be lifted are: Brisbane City Council, Gold Coast City Council, Ipswich City Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Logan City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, Redland City Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council.

However, travellers who have spent any time in the South East Queensland LGAs in the previous 14 days and are seeking to enter the ACT after 4:00pm 8 August 2021 will still be required to complete a declaration form within 24 hours prior to arriving in the ACT. This allows ACT Health to contact and advise people directly should the COVID-19 situation in these areas evolve and travel requirements need to be escalated.

ACT Health will directly contact people who have been subject to stay-at-home requirements for South East Queensland to advise them of the update, including in relation to the Cairns Regional Council or Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council areas.

North Queensland

In light of the COVID-19 situation in Cairns and the Queensland Government’s decision to institute a three-day lockdown for Cairns Regional Council and Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council, the ACT Government will introduce a stay-at-home requirement for these two areas from 4.00pm Sunday 8 August 2021 which will remain in place until at least 4.00pm Wednesday 11 August 2021.

If you are an ACT resident and have spent any time in the Cairns Regional Council and/or Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council, on or after 29 July 2021, you will be required to:

  • Complete an online declaration form within 24 hours prior to arriving in the ACT or within 24 hours from the commencement of the new stay-at-home requirements.
  • Travel directly to the residence where you will spend the stay-at-home period. You should only leave the residence for an approved essential purpose.
  • You must wear a mask if leaving your premises for any of these essential purposes, except if you are undertaking vigorous exercise outdoors. Mask wearing is not required for children aged 12 or under.

If you have been to the Cairns Regional Council and/or Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council, and are a staff member, visitor or volunteer in a high-risk setting, you should not visit or attend work for a period of 14 days since you were last in the area. High-risk settings include hospitals, residential aged care facilities, correctional facilities and residential accommodation facilities that support people who require frequent, close personal care and who are vulnerable to severe disease.

If you are a non-ACT resident, and are seeking to travel from these areas to the ACT whilst these restrictions are in place, you must not enter the ACT without an approved exemption. Exemptions will only be granted for exceptional circumstances, and even if an exemption is approved, you will still be required to follow the stay-at-home requirement while you are in the ACT.

We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation in North Queensland closely. It is possible these restrictions may need to be tightened further to protect the ACT community, and people should be prepared for this to happen at short notice.

Keeping Canberra safe and strong

With COVID-19 cases now identified across several states, we continue to ask all Canberrans to reconsider the need for non-essential interstate travel at this time. This will help to minimise the risk of COVID-19 entering the ACT. Canberrans should not be travelling to areas which are under stay-at-home or quarantine requirements.


ACT Health will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in all jurisdictions very closely and will put in place further directions if required in order to keep our community safe.