Mobile phone data collected during lockdown has offered insight into how the ACT might fare as it opens up, with compliant Canberrans reportedly staying away from crowded places and staying inside as ordered.
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The Google mobility report showed a 71 per cent reduction in public transport use over six weeks during lockdown and a 25 per cent increase in time spent at home.
Supermarkets and pharmacies experienced no change, while shopping centres and cafe attendance recorded a 41 per cent drop.
Australian National University demographer Dr Liz Allen said public health measures had forced Canberrans to reshape their lives, with COVID-19 risks redefining what constituted safe activities and behaviours.
"In a positive move to aid in reducing the spread of COVID-19 infection, people in the ACT are avoiding public transport, workplaces and retail," Dr Allen said.
"I suspect it will be some time before people in Canberra will resume public transport use at rates observed prior to COVID-19. Car dependency will become an ever more dominant form of transport in the near future."
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Dr Allen said changed behaviours would create a watershed period for Canberra businesses over the next 12 months, with many forced to alter their mode of operations or risk going under.
"It will take time for Canberrans to resume frequenting local pubs, bars and cafes, which will have a significant impact on economic activity in the region," she said.
"Economic spending in the region might improve once students return to schools, but it's unlikely Christmas will see shopping centres packed full of people this summer."
With a high proportion of the ACT workforce transitioning to working from home since the outbreak began on August 12, the data recorded visits to workplaces at less than 53 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Dr Allen said working from home would likely persist well into the New Year for those that can and with that consumers would continue their COVID normal spending.
"Canberrans won't be trading their active work-from-home wear for business attire any time soon and this will have flow-on impacts for the region's social and economic activities," she said.
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This week signalled a further reduction in restrictions in the ACT, with 80 per cent double-dose vaccination coverage sparking a further move towards opening up and the acceptance of living with COVID-19 in the community.
The ACT will no longer be providing daily epidemiology updates. Chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman will instead be giving weekly analysis of how the virus has spread.
Dr Coleman said the data would now be presented from Sunday to Sunday which would allow for more in-depth analysis.
University of Canberra assistant professor in public health Dr Indira Samarawickrema said as the ACT continued to open up the COVID numbers that mattered would change.
"What I would be looking at is the number of hospitalisations," Dr Samarawickrema said.
"Our focus will have to be on protecting the vulnerable groups and preventing burnout among the front-line health workers."
Dr Samarawickrema said ACT residents had quickly adopted COVID-safe behaviours like checking-in, wearing masks, social distancing and hand sanitisation.
She said all those measures would serve the community well in keeping infection numbers down as Canberra opened up.
Dr Samarawickrema said evidence of increased outdoor activity and use of parks and reserves would also bode well for community health.
"Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases, from diabetes to heart diseases. So if people have been taking the opportunity of one hour of walking outside this is a big positive for Canberrans' health," she said.
"When people walk in the sunlight - of course wearing their protection creams - and seeing the green space that is very good for their mental health and wellbeing.
"Also, we did not have outbreaks in the parks, so people were keeping their distance distance."
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