Andrew Barr gives hope ACT restrictions could be eased quicker

It came as quarantine time for fully vaccinated close contacts in the ACT will be halved as the territory follows NSW and Victoria in slashing the isolation period from 14 days to seven.

Casual contacts will also no longer have to quarantine at all from next Monday, under changes to contact tracing rules announced by ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman.

The changes come as the capital hit the 90 per cent fully vaccinated threshold in the eligible over 12 population.

Mr Barr said the high vaccine rate gave authorities confidence to progress the ACT's pathway forward, as he confirmed planned changes would go ahead on Friday.

These changes include an increase in the number of household visitors from five to 10, density limits to increase for hospitality venues and face masks will no longer be required outdoors.

"Looking at the pathway forward, we can say that the initial stages of our transition has been very successful," he said.

"We've now seen around 100,000 Canberrans returned to their workplaces, tens of thousands of students returned to school and thousands of businesses trading strongly again."

If the ACT continued on the current trajectory, Mr Barr said it was hoped the territory could bring forward a further easing of restrictions, which is currently slated for late-November.

Those changes, based on the pathway forward, could mean masks would be limited to high risk indoor settings, there would be no limit on household visitors or outdoor gatherings, dancing would be allowed in venues and people would also be allowed to stand while drinking.

"Based on discussions the chief health officer has had with emergency cabinet, we'll be looking at the November settings earlier than anticipated and so we'll have a look in a couple of weeks," Mr Barr said.

"People can expect if we continue on the current trajectory that we'll be able to bring things forward."

There were 10 new cases of COVID-19 in the ACT recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday. There are currently 280 active cases in the territory. Eleven people are in hospital, six are in intensive care and five are being ventilated.

There were also 10 cases recorded in Queanbeyan during the same period.

Under changes to quarantine rules, close contacts who are fully vaccinated will have to receive a negative test result on their sixth day of isolation before they will be allowed out.

Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated will still have to isolate for 14 days.

All casual contacts will still be required to get a test and remain isolated until a negative COVID-19 result is received. However, a second precautionary test will be needed six days after the exposure.

Casual contacts will still need to complete a declaration form through ACT Health.

The new quarantine rules will come into place on November 1.

Mr Barr also provided some clarity about travel freedoms going ahead, as Canberrans will be able to travel freely between Victoria and all of NSW on Monday.

However, the government will still put in place restrictions to geographical areas that have been deemed high risk.

"This will not be a large number of geographical areas but there will be some and that may change in the months ahead," Mr Barr said.

Mr Barr said health authorities would define what areas are high risk by Friday ahead on Monday's change. However, there would be relaxed rules for fully vaccinated travellers.

"These identified high risk geographical areas will have some exemption and quarantine requirements for travellers depending on their vaccination status," he said.

"Vaccinated travellers will be permitted to enter the ACT for any reasons, exemption documentation will be automated so there is an immediate approval with no delay in response."

But unvaccinated travellers will only be allowed to travel for essential reasons and exemption applications would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Dr Coleman said authorities would try to limit the geographical areas of concern, as opposed to placing blanket restrictions over an entire city.

MORE COVID-19 NEWS:

People from NSW and Victoria who are currently quarantining in the ACT, and whose quarantine is due to end after November 1, will be released early.

"We will have advice on Friday on the website about what the specific details will be, and we will have messages for all of those people who we have mobile phones for," Dr Coleman said.

"But the intention will be, is that, people will be released who would not be required to quarantine moving forward under the new rules."

ACT health authorities have been reluctant to mandate different rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people as restrictions have been eased. However, Dr Coleman said it was appropriate when it came to individual level public health directions, such as quarantine.

Visitor rules for Canberra's hospital will also be relaxed, with one visitor per patient per day.

"I know that this is still pretty strict but it will absolutely be a relief for many who wish to be able to visit family and friends more easily in the hospital," Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.

Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: