Canberra has recorded one death with COVID-19 today – a man aged in his 90s – as the ACT’s health minister announced changes to check-in requirements.
From 11.59pm on Friday, February 11th, checking in will only be required at:
- Licensed bars and pubs;
- Registered clubs;
- Nightclubs;
- Strip clubs and brothels;
- Organised events that are not ticketed or pre-registered, including conferences, markets, music and cultural events;
- Schools and early childhood education and care.
Other businesses and settings will no longer be required to display their QR codes or to ask visitors and customers to check in. However, they are encouraged to continue to display QR codes for voluntary use by customers who want to keep a record of where they have been, Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said today.
The Minister said the changes to the check in rules were being made in the context of “an evolving COVID-19 outbreak response and contact tracing process”.
“We’re in a new phase of our pandemic response and using the Check In CBR app differently will support those most at risk of exposure to COVID-19 while reducing the requirements placed on other businesses, venues and customers,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.
“These changes mean we’re still able to monitor places where our public health team considers there is a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.”
She said the app was currently being updated to enable automatic notification of users if they have been at a higher risk setting during a COVID-19 exposure.
“While this technical work is still underway, we expect to have this feature ready in the next couple of weeks.”
“Check In CBR has provided a vital service throughout this pandemic and has been embraced by Canberrans. Since its release in September 2020, the app has been downloaded more than 1.3 million times and used for 111 million check-ins.
“With the automated exposure notification function, Check In CBR will continue to be a critical tool in our efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“ACT Health continues to work on improvements to Check In CBR in response to community feedback and to prepare for potential future contact tracing needs,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.
She said Canberrans could be assured that their check-in data was protected and would not accessed unless needed for contact tracing purposes.
Today’s COVID-19 death in the capital is the ACT’s 29th death since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, new cases fell to 299 today, from yesterday’s figure of 323.
There are currently 57 people in hospital with COVID-19, including two in intensive care and one requiring ventilation.
