CANBERRA’S pandemic emergency declaration is set to be lifted after more than two years.

The ACT government will soon step down from a pandemic “emergency” to pandemic “management”, after special COVID-19 laws passed the Legislative Assembly today (June 7).

ACT Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said the capital has been under a public health emergency declaration since March 2020.

“Now we are transitioning to living with COVID‑19 where public health emergency powers may no longer be needed, but the ACT government must continue to have the ability to respond to the impacts of the pandemic,” she said.

Ms Stephen-Smith said the new management laws will give government ministers the power to make decisions around certain public directions.

“The government will now be able to make a COVID-19 management declaration if there are reasonable grounds for believing that COVID-19 presents a serious risk to public health,” she said.

“This declaration can be made for up to 90 days at a time and the chief health officer will provide regular reports on whether the declaration is justified.

“The Act contains a sunset clause, meaning these measures will expire 18 months from when the legislation starts.”

Under a COVID-19 management declaration, government ministers have the power to impose certain restrictions, the power to create vaccine mandates and the chief health officer would retain control of test, trace, isolate and quarantine measures.