FROM 11.59pm tonight (December 21) the ACT government will reintroduce the requirement to wear a mask indoors.

Acting Chief Minister Yvette Berry said masks must be worn indoors other than a place of residence.

This included:

• Indoor retail 
• Public transport
• Hospitality venues except when seated, eating or drinking
• Indoor workplaces
• Visitors and staff in residential aged care facilities

Ms Berry said with the Omicron variant taking hold just over the border in NSW, wearing a mask indoors was “a simple way to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in the ACT”.

“In the past week we have seen a significant increase in case numbers in the ACT, and around half of our active cases have been confirmed as the Omicron variant,” she said.

“Wearing a mask indoors is a small price to pay to keep your family and friends safe.

“And of course, if you’re eligible for a vaccine or booster, please make a booking.”

She said restrictions for residential aged care facilities would also be reintroduced from 11.59pm tonight.

Residents would be restricted to five visitors per day, with a maximum of five visitors at any one time, but there would be no daily limit on visitors for end-of-life visits.

These requirements would be in place over the Christmas and New Year period and would be reviewed in January, unless there was a significant change in the COVID-19 situation in the ACT.

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