Goulburn residents will be required to seek an exemption to travel into the ACT for essential work or healthcare. This comes after an announcement this morning that the ACT will enter lockdown for seven days from 5pm tonight.
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Goulburn Mulwaree mayor Bob Kirk has written to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr about the issue. Councillor Kirk said he asked for the minster to add the region to a list of exempt postcodes.
The current list of approved postcodes for entry into the ACT for essential work and healthcare reasons include: Gunning, Collector, Murrumbateman, Yass, Binalong, Gundaroo, Bungendore, Captains Flat, Bredbo and Michelago.
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These postcodes will not require an exemption and are covered by a standing exemption issued by ACT Health.
If you live outside these postcodes and need to enter the ACT you need to seek an exemption.
Mayor Kirk said approximately 2000 to 3000 Goulburn residents traveled to the ACT daily for work.
"A good number of those people will be traveling for essential work," he said.
"So many people in the region travel into the ACT for work and medical treatments.
"It's critical."
See the full list of exempt postcodes. Story continues below.
While the mayor said he understood the need to "draw the line somewhere", at the very least "a quick process for exemptions" was needed.
He encouraged community members to "be vigilant" for people breaking current restrictions.
"Keep an eye out and report [public health order breaches] to police," Mr Kirk said.
Are you impacted by the ACT lockdown? Email hannah.neale@austcommunitymedia.com.au
The ACT Government defines essential workers as a person who is:
- working for an essential provider or business that is permitted to operate
- critical to, and involved in, the ACT's COVID-19 response
- a fly in fly out worker or a drive in drive out worker who is required for industry or business continuity and maintenance where the service is time-critical, who is responsible for critical maintenance or repair of infrastructure critical to the ACT
- a transport, freight or logistics driver
- employed as flight crew
- a member of the ACT Legislative Assembly or the person on the staff of such a member
- a member of the Commonwealth Parliament, or the person on the staff of such a member
- anyone required to ensure the functioning of the ACT Legislative Assembly or the Commonwealth Parliament
- Federal, State or Local Government worker determined to be essential by the relevant Head of the Government Agency
Any person who performs work that is essential for the continued operation of:
- essential health services
- funerary or mortuary services or related activities
- emergency services, including:
- the State Emergency Services
- fire fighting services
- paramedical services
- ambulance services
- air ambulance and medical retrieval services
- police services or protective services officers stationed on border duties or otherwise engaged in policing duties
- military and defence services deployed for activities in the ACT
- state security or national security
- the State Emergency Services
- fire fighting services
- paramedical services
- ambulance services
- air ambulance and medical retrieval services
- police services or protective services officers stationed on border duties or otherwise engaged in policing duties
- military and defence services deployed for activities in the ACT
- state security or national security
- the State Emergency Services
- fire fighting services
- paramedical services
- ambulance services
- air ambulance and medical retrieval services
- police services or protective services officers stationed on border duties or otherwise engaged in policing duties
- military and defence services deployed for activities in the ACT
- state security or national security
- a wedding or a funeral
- specialist services at telecommunications stores to support telecommunications as a critical service
Any person who provides or works in the following:
- essential infrastructure and essential services required to maintain or protect the safety, health or welfare of the community or a section of the community (whether provided by a public or private undertaking), includes construction, maintenance and repair of such infrastructure.
- organisations that provide urgent services necessary for the health and safety of any person or animal (for example, food banks, domestic and family violence services, RSPCA).
- urgent repair and maintenance services, including plumbing, electrical and heating repair.
- roadside assistance services.
- domestic and commercial waste and resource recovery services (including collection, treatment and disposal services).
- journalist and media services.
- services related to the administration of justice.
- essential legal services that are not able to be provided electronically.
- a factory or facility that is not able to be shut down without causing damage or loss to plant and equipment, but only those operations that are necessary to prevent that damage or loss.
- veterinarians and any staff to ensure the safe functioning of a veterinary clinic, including home visits where there is a genuine animal welfare issue.
- public transport, including taxis, rideshare services and other public passenger services.
- air transport, including the operation of airports.
- freight services, including postal and courier services.
- furniture removalists, but only where moves cannot be reasonably delayed.
- essential security services
- a blood bank.
- care services for people with particular needs because of homelessness, age, infirmity, disability, illness or a chronic health condition.
- production and distribution of:
- food and groceries for sale by a supermarket, butcher, fruit and vegetable store, market or fishmonger (including for sale by operators of such premises at an indoor or outdoor market)
- liquor for sale at a bottle shop
- medical and pharmaceutical products.
- food and groceries for sale by a supermarket, butcher, fruit and vegetable store, market or fishmonger (including for sale by operators of such premises at an indoor or outdoor market)
- liquor for sale at a bottle shop
- medical and pharmaceutical products.
- food and groceries for sale by a supermarket, butcher, fruit and vegetable store, market or fishmonger (including for sale by operators of such premises at an indoor or outdoor market)
- liquor for sale at a bottle shop
- medical and pharmaceutical products.
- primary industries only to the extent necessary to ensure adequate supply of food to, and care of, animals and maintenance of crops.
- a hotel, motel or other accommodation facility to the extent that they provide accommodation services in accordance with approved reasons.
- manufacturing, fabrication or assembly of goods and materials necessary for or related to supporting defence or security industries.
- Maintenance of essential research activities.
