The ACT government has announced changes to COVID-19 mask-wearing requirements as the territory records more than 900 new infections in 24 hours.
From 6pm on Friday, February 25, masks will only be required in a select few indoor settings. These include:
- on public transport, such as buses, light rail, taxis, and in rideshares
- when working in or visiting indoor spaces at a school or early childhood centre
- when visiting or working at a hospital, residential aged care facility, correctional facility or residential accommodation
- inside Canberra Airport or on a domestic flight in or out of Canberra
The changes make clear that all staff members or visitors to schools or early childhood education settings are still required to wear face masks while indoors.
And workers employed in the disability and aged-care sectors are required to wear a mask while working with vulnerable people. This includes in-home and community care providers.
The changes to the territory's mask mandate were announced as the ACT recorded 946 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday – 570 from RATs and 376 from PCR tests.
There are 40 people in hospital with the virus in Canberra, including two people in intensive care. No patients are requiring ventilation.
More than 65 per cent of Canberrans aged 16 and older have received their booster and 77.7 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received one dose of a COVID vaccine.
High school students to continue to wear masks inside
While NSW scrapped the requirements for school students to wear masks in class earlier this morning, the ACT will continue to enforce mask wearing for students in years seven to 12 while indoors at school.
In a statement, the ACT government said the changes brought the "ACT into line with similar mask requirements in NSW and Victoria".
Despite the changes, ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said she still encouraged Canberrans to wear their masks as a way of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Ms Stephen-Smith added that it would be up to workplaces to decide what policies they would implement surrounding mask wearing for their staff.
"This is particularly important for businesses that employ staff with customer-facing roles, and especially for those who are likely to be interacting with vulnerable community members," she said.
ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said the government had made the decision to ease restrictions around mask-wearing now, as mask mandates were hard on some members of the community.
"The other thing is that the community is very on board and doing the right thing by everyone else."
Mandatory registration of positive RAT results from Friday
The ACT government has further outlined that from 11:59pm on Friday, anyone who receives a positive rapid antigen test (RAT) result must lodge it on the ACT Health website.
Previously, the government had asked people to register their positive results but it was not compulsory.
"We're asking Canberrans to do the right thing and fill that in if they've received a positive RAT result," Mr Steel said.
From Saturday, anyone with a positive result must quarantine for seven days, as per public health guidelines for positive-COVID cases, whether that result is obtained via a RAT or PCR test.
Questions raised about efficiency of RATs in schools
Meanwhile, the ABC has seen an email from the principal of a primary school in Canberra's north outlining that many students were testing positive to COVID-19 on PCR tests, despite initially returning negative RATs.
But ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry defended the use of RATs in schools.
She said if anyone was concerned that the result was incorrect, they should get a PCR test.
"Well it's not that [RATs] can't be trusted, it's just that they aren't as accurate as a PCR test, but they are providing reassurance to families and to school communities that are using them," she said.
"The rapid antigen tests are doing their job right now in keeping our schools fairly safe, but if you are at all uncertain, then go get the PCR test."
