Page 42 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 8 February 2022
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At present most businesses and venues across the ACT are permitted to have 25 people across an indoor venue before density limits of one person per two square metres apply to each usable indoor space. With effect from 12 noon on 8 January, further restrictions were implemented for hospitality and licensed businesses, including cafes, bars and nightclubs and indoor entertainment venues, in response to the spike in cases.
These venues must adhere to the following restrictions: patrons must be seated while eating and drinking; dancing is not permitted; and nightclubs are permitted to operate as a bar, within existing density limits. In addition, the ACT government made the difficult decision to cease category 2 and 3 elective surgeries at Calvary Public Hospital for six to eight weeks to support our frontline health workers and redeploy healthcare staff to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
On 31 January the ACT government announced that the restrictions implemented from 8 January would be extended for a further four weeks to 25 February, unless a review in two weeks indicated they were no longer required for the level of risk being managed. This included a further recommendation that people should continue to work from home wherever possible during February.
Visitor restrictions at all hospitals, community health centres and walk-in centres were also tightened from 12.01 am on 26 December 2021 to protect vulnerable patients and reduce the risk of outbreaks within the ACT’s healthcare facilities. No visitors are permitted to enter these healthcare facilities other than in exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life, birthing or for paediatric care.
Yesterday the ACT government also announced changes to the Check In CBR requirements to better reflect the territory’s current public health situation and response. But we are not “scrapping the app”, as those opposite floated last week. We know how important Check In CBR has been to our public health response, and the Chief Health Officer’s advice is that it will continue to be needed as the pandemic continues to change.
From 11.59 pm on Friday, 11 February, check-in will no longer be required at the majority of businesses and venues. However, it will continue to be required when entering licensed bars and pubs, registered clubs, nightclubs, strip clubs and brothels, and organised events that are not ticketed or pre-registered. Check-in will also continue to be required for staff and visitors entering school grounds and early childhood education and care settings, in line with the health guidelines for schools and early childhood education and care services.
In addition, we are asking those businesses and venues where checking in is no longer required to continue to display their QR codes for people to use voluntarily. We know Canberrans have embraced the app, and many value having that record of where they have been in their phone.
The rapid increase in COVID-19 cases across the country has caused significant workforce and supply chain pressures as many essential workers have been
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