Police call for greater personal responsibility following COVID 19 compliance checks

ACT Policing continued COVID-19 compliance checks on people in self-isolation, in quarantine and at businesses over the weekend.

With assistance from the ACT State Emergency Service (SES) and the Rural Fire Service (RFS), ACT Policing visited more than 300 people in quarantine to ensure they were complying with current ACT Public Health Directions.

There was 100 percent compliance of people in self-isolation and quarantine at hotels and at home. In the past 14 days, ACT Policing has conducted more than 1200 such checks.

ACT Policing and Access Canberra also visited more than 60 restaurants over the weekend, and found most businesses were compliant with current COVID-19 guidelines.

Police also responded to several calls for assistance with patrons who were not abiding by social distancing guidelines when lining-up.

Detective Superintendent Jason Kennedy, from ACT Policing's COVID-19 Taskforce, said that while the weekend’s results were pleasing, Canberrans still needed to respect and follow the health directions and social distancing guidelines.

“You are not allowed to stand at a bar and drink. You must be seated. You can only be in groups of 10 or less at venues. You need to ensure you maintain at least 1.5 metres from others. You need to wait until staff have cleaned the tables before you sit at them," Detective Superintendent Kennedy said.

ACT Policing’s COVID-19 Taskforce is also investigating an alleged breach of an ACT Public Health Emergency Direction, which prohibits non-ACT residents from entering the ACT from Victoria, unless they have been granted an exemption from ACT Health.

On Saturday evening (25 July 2020), police received a report that a man was in the ACT, having travelled from Victoria the previous night. It was a condition of the man’s NSW / Victoria border crossing permit that he proceed directly to a Sydney address and self-isolate at the location for 14 days.

The man was located at a business premises in the ACT and given a direction to leave the ACT immediately; and quarantine for 14 days at his destination in Sydney.  The man complied with the direction and left the ACT in his vehicle, under the watch of police.

The circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation, and the man may face a fine of $1000 for travelling to the ACT without an exemption.

Media enquiries

Police Media — (02) 5126 9070, act-police-media@afp.gov.au