TRAVELLERS planning to come to the ACT from Sydney have been told to stay away due to the evolving COVID-19 situation in NSW.

From 4pm today (June 25) the NSW stay-at-home order in place for seven local government areas (LGAs) will be extended to Metropolitan Sydney, but does not include the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong or Shellharbour regions.

ACT Health says: “For non-ACT residents who are in Greater Sydney and surrounds, our message is simple: do not travel to the ACT.

“For people from Metropolitan Sydney in particular, you will not be able to enter the ACT without an approved exemption. Exemptions will only be granted for extraordinary circumstances, and even if an exemption is approved, you will still be required to follow the stay-at-home order in the ACT.

“The number of exposure sites and confirmed cases of community transmission in Sydney is growing quickly and implementing this stay-at-home order will not only help protect the ACT community from COVID-19 but also will reduce the likelihood of our community needing to tighten restrictions.

Stay-at-home requirements

ACT Health says any ACT resident leaving Metropolitan Sydney on or after 4 today, Friday June 25, will be required to:

• Complete an online declaration form within 24 hours before arriving in the ACT or within 24 hours from the commencement of the new stay-at-home requirements.
• Travel directly to the residence where you will spend the stay-at-home period, only leaving the residence for an approved essential purpose. The stay-at-home requirement will be in place until at least 11.59pm on Friday, July 2.
• Everyone aged 12 years and over must wear a mask if leaving their premises for any of these essential purposes. Mask wearing is not required if undertaking vigorous exercise outdoors.

Anyone who has been in the broader Greater Sydney region, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour regions in the past 14 days is still required to complete an online declaration form. This is to ensure ACT Health can contact people if travel directions need to be escalated in the coming days.

At this time, these requirements will remain in place until 11.59pm Friday 2 July 2021, in line with the timeframes for NSW Health restrictions.

People in the ACT who have been in New South Wales in the last 14 days should continue to check the COVID-19 Areas of Concern information on the ACT COVID-19 website to see if they have been in any exposure locations.