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Small retailers in the Australian Capital Territory will be permitted to operate local delivery and click & collect services from midnight tonight, but the Territory will remain in lockdown after 21 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were reported.
The ACT’s Chief Minister Andrew Barr outlined the changes for small retailers, which will be in place until at least Thursday, 2 September.
The new public health directions will allow small retail businesses to have a maximum of two people at the premises to operate local contactless delivery services or a click & collect service.
To counterbalance this, some of the large essential businesses will also be required to move to a similar contactless delivery or click & collect service, including hardware, pet supply and office supply stores.
“These stores will of course remain open for Canberrans to access the essential items they need, but that access will be via contactless means,” Barr said.
“These small amendments to the public health directions allow a small amount of additional activity at a small business level that counterbalance that with addressing what has been a major issue of the most checked-in places in Canberra in the last two weeks.”
Barr also mentioned the ACT Government has been engaging with the construction industry to develop strict COVID-safe arrangements to enable a staged reopening of the sector from 3 September.
“Subject to the public health situation not deteriorating over the next week, the Government is targeting a gradual re-commencement of construction from Friday, the third of September,” Barr said.
“This gradual recommencement would start with civil construction, new roads and suburban infrastructure for example. It would also include the manufacturing, fabrication, testing and equipment supply that will enable construction projects to recommence.”
Of the ACT’s 21 new COVID-19 cases, 15 are linked to known outbreaks and six are still under investigation.
11 people are currently hospitalised with COVID-19, and one person remains in intensive care in a critical condition.
Updated at 12.11pm AEST on 27 August 2021.
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