First Covid case in more than a year confirmed in the ACT

Coronavirus has been detected in Canberra and the ACT entered lockdown at 5pm Thursday.

The lockdown will last for at least seven days.

LIVE BLOG: Keep up to date with the latest developments as Covid returns to Canberra

The positive case is the first for the ACT in more than 12 months, with the territory avoiding lockdowns endured by much of NSW during the current outbreak.

ACT government declared an emergency cabinet meeting on Thursday morning to determine the next steps.

According to the ACT government's Covid roadmap, the ACT would initially enter a "pause and assess" period following an outbreak of coronavirus in the capital.

During the first phase of the Covid response, residents would be required to stay at home with few reasons to leave the house.

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Reasons to leave would include shopping for essentials like groceries and medicine, attending medical appointments or attending childcare arrangements where parents or guardians need to undertake essential work or study.

Anyone who could work from home would be required to work from home and exercising outdoors would be limited to one hour per day.

People would be permitted to attend coronavirus vaccinations under phase one, provided the individual was not in quarantine.

NSW recorded 345 cases of coronavirus overnight with at least 60 people infectious in the community. Two men in their 90s have sadly passed away, including one man who was fully vaccinated.

ACT Health will make further announcements this afternoon.

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