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ACT lockdown extended, minor easing of restrictions On Tuesday 14 September, the ACT’s lockdown was extended for at least another month, meaning it will continue until Friday 15 October at the earliest. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the decision to extend was based on the public health risk that remains locally, and regionally after a case was detected in Yass overnight. Some minor amendments to public health directions will come into effect from 11.59pm Friday 17 September: • Small businesses that are currently permitted to operate a click and collect or click and deliver service will be allowed to have up to five people in the business at any one time or one person per four square metres. • The recommencement of in-person house inspections by private appointment. Only household members will be permitted to attend an appointment with one
real estate agent. • The recommencement of outdoor social and recreational sport with up to five people. This does not permit organised competition, coaching or training to recommence. Indoor sport remains closed. Gatherings in the home – including in outdoor areas – will still not be allowed. ACT Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerryn Coleman, said the decision was “the one that we needed to make to control the spread of COVID-19”. “At this time, the combination of unknown sources of transmission in the community and people yet to be vaccinated means that this risk is too high,” Dr Coleman said. So far (to 14 September), over two-thirds of total cases have been infectious in the community for some or all of their infectious period. A “mid-point review” of the lockdown settings will be conducted
in a fortnight. Mr Barr said his priority over the next four weeks of lockdown is to “vaccinate as many people as possible”. In that time, nearly 50,000 Canberrans will receive a first dose of Pfizer through an ACT Government clinic, with a further 35,000 to receive second dose. Tens of thousands more will receive a first or second AstraZeneca jab via local GPs and pharmacists. Additionally, the ACT Government has developed a plan for the first four weeks of term four in local schools that will see Year 12 students return to on-campus learning from the start of term on Tuesday 5 October. Year 11 will return from week three, Monday 18 October, subject to the health situation not deteriorating in the interim. Pre-school to Year 10 will continue remote learning for at least the first four weeks of term four.
Plans for the ACT’s pathway forward were also released Tuesday; a one-page document that broadly outlines the already widely reported phases of the Doherty Institute model with some mention of what will be considered when the thresholds are met, though without any specifics. “The Chief Minister has been spruiking for weeks now that today he would provide a roadmap and plan for a safe transition out of lockdown, but all he offered was a four-week extension with little regard for Canberrans doing it tough,” Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee said. Mr Barr told journalists that as the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination thresholds are met, restrictions would be eased to involve measures like density limits, gathering size limits, face-to-face learning, and check-in requirements. - Denholm Samaras
Financial support for businesses extended but needed urgently Following Tuesday’s announcement that lockdown has been extended by another month, the ACT Government will extend and expand a range of financial support measures, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said. The utilities concession will be increased by $200 for 31,000 eligible households to $1,000; it was earlier increased by $100 in
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June, from $700 last year. The land tax and commercial rates relief to landlords who provide rent relief to their tenants has been doubled, and extended until 31 December. Earlier this month, the ACT Government offered a commercial rates credit of $5,000 to commercial landlords who offered rent relief to their tenants; that credit has been increased to $10,000. Residential landlords providing rent relief will receive a credit of $100 per week on their residential land tax. Rent payments will be waived for business and community sector tenants of government-owned properties who were significantly affected by the lockdown. The Government will make more announcements about joint funding with the Commonwealth for businesses.
However, Canberra Business Chamber president Graham Catt said businesses were hoping for better news out of Tuesday’s announcements. Many businesses expected that at 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates, normal economic activity would be resumed in stages. “Business owners hoped for more detail about what life will look like when we reach the different phases of the pathway. When might we shop in person, eat out, or have a haircut again?” More than 7,000 business have applied for business support grants; Mr Barr said that $17.26 million has been paid to more than 1,000 business over the last week. However, several business leaders said they had not received a grant five weeks into lockdown, nor met anyone who had. They want
assistance urgently. “Many are telling us that the payments aren’t coming quickly enough,” Mr Catt said. “People are eating into their savings, and as more small businesses hold onto their cash and can’t pay their bills to other businesses, it is hitting everyone’s cash flow. “Thousands of ACT businesses and their employees cannot wait another four weeks ... Getting support payments to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible is critical. “We cannot underestimate the economic strain that is currently being carried by private and notfor-profit ACT businesses, and the devastating long-term economic impacts if we cannot provide them with the support they need to survive.” - Nick Fuller
