Thursday September 22nd will be a one-off public holiday for all Australians to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with a national day of mourning.
Across Australia, banks will be closed along with some government run services.
In the ACT, it will be up to individual businesses to decide if they will remain open on Thursday.
Chief executive officer of the Canberra Business Chamber Graham Catt said we can expect many of the major retail stores to be open on Thursday.
"While smaller local retail and hospitality businesses can trade as they normally would on other public holidays such as Australia Day or New Year's Day, the choice to open or not will be up to each business and depend on their circumstances."
Canberrans that work on Thursday will still be entitled to the applicable penalty rates, rights and entitlements.
"For many small businesses, already struggling with rising costs and challenges with staffing, this may mean it simply isn't possible to open," Mr Catt said.
"We do hope that people understand the challenges that their local businesses are facing, and that they are patient and understanding on a day that should be a dignified and appropriate mark of the community's respect for an extraordinary life of service," he said.
What will be closed?
All ACT schools will be closed on Thursday, but reopen on Friday the 23rd for the last day of term 3.
All Access Canberra Service Centres will be closed including specialised centres in Dickson, Mitchell, and the Hume Motor Vehicle Inspection Station.
Members of the public who had pre-booked inspections, assessments and appointments with Access Canberra for Thursday 22 September will be contacted by staff to reschedule their appointments.
The Housing ACT shopfront and Child and Family Centres in Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and West Belconnen will be closed. The Child Development Service centre in Holder will also be closed. Those with appointments on 22 September will be contacted to reschedule.
All branches of Libraries ACT will be closed on Thursday 22 September, including the ACT Heritage Library. Return chutes at library branches will remain open.
Pathology collection centres will be closed and some community services will be ceased or scaled back.
COVID-19 testing centres at Holt and Kambah are closed and the ACT COVID-19 vaccination booking line will be closed.
The Central Health Intake phone line will be closed Access and Sensory and Weston Creek vaccination clinics are closed.
Paid parking fees will not apply in ACT government cark parks, as per normal pubic holiday arrangements.
Post offices will also be closed.
What will be open?
Public transport will still operate but on the Sunday bus timetable.
There will be no changes to bin collection services.
The Access Canberra Contact Centre will be operating under public holiday arrangements and will be open from 9am to 5pm.
Outside these times, the Access Canberra Contact Centre will be still open to report urgent public safety issues like fallen trees and faulty traffic lights.
Shopping
Individual store hours may differ but both Canberra Centre and Westfields in Woden and Belconnen will be open, operating at public holiday hours, so 10am to 4pm.
Woolworths and Big W stores will remain open.
Most IGA stores will also remain open, but hours may vary from store to store.
All Aldi store will remain open but will all close at 8pm.
Liquor stores will also stay open.
Health services
There will be minimal impacts to health services. Canberra's emergency departments at the Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce are open for emergencies.
Walk-in Centres will operate as usual, as will the COVID-19 clinic at Garran and the emergency department.
Treatments such as dialysis and critical cancer treatments will continue as usual.
The COVID Care at Home (CC@H) phone line on 02 5124 3085 will be open as usual from 8am to 6pm, however the Central Health Intake phone lines will not be operating.
All impacted patients are being contacted individually to be rescheduled. Please do not contact Canberra Health Services about your appointment.
ACT COVID-19 testing sites will have changed hours of operation on Thursday 22 September. The Mitchell testing site will operate at reduced hours from 8am to 12pm. The Garran centre will operate as usual from 7.30am to 9pm.
ACT COVID-19 outbreaks response team is available from 10am to 2pm
National Coronavirus Helpline 1800 020 080 is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Cafes
Openings will vary across the city, but if your local cafe is normally open on a public holiday they will likely be open on Thursday and surcharges will apply.
The Cupping Room on University Ave will be open from 8am to 2pm, the kitchen will close at 1pm.
ARC, located on Constitutional Avenue, will be open from 7.30am until 12.30pm.
Gather in Braddon will also remain open from 8am to 3pm, the kitchen closes at 2.30pm.
Tourism
Floriade will be open on the National Day of Mourning and a one-minute silence will be observed at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park at 11am.
The Canberra and Region Visitors Centre will be open from 9am - 4pm.
The Village Centre at the National Arboretum Canberra will be open 9am - 4pm.
