The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to capital Canberra, on Thursday announced a seven-day lockdown after recording its first COVID-19 case in the community since last July.
ACT health authorities said the lockdown would start at 5.00 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Thursday, with Canberrans only allowed to leave home for reasons such as to shop for essentials and carry out essential work.
ACT health authorities said residents were also allowed to obtain essential health care or exercise outdoors for no more than one hour a day.
“The lockdown is a result of a COVID-19 case being identified in the community and positive wastewater detections reported overnight.
“We have said throughout the outbreak in Greater Sydney that we will act quickly and decisively.
“We have seen that a short and immediate lockdown limits the potential spread of the virus, and is the best path to avoiding longer and more damaging lockdowns,” Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, said in a statement.
Houses of federal parliament were already set to rise on Thursday evening, news agency AAP reported, adding that there was another fortnight of sittings scheduled for Aug. 23 to Sept. 2.
Many lawmakers were already appearing remotely because of lockdowns and border closures down the east coast as Parliament House was shut to the public.
Canberra’s lockdown comes as the Delta variant of the coronavirus continued to wreck havoc in neighbouring New South Wales in spite of a lockdown in place in Sydney and parts of the state imposed at the end of June and recently extended until the end of August. (dpa/NAN)
