ACT Policing is to be assisted by personnel from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to undertake quarantine compliance checks on travellers now required to be in mandatory isolation for two weeks upon their return to Canberra.
Chief Minister, Andrew Barr said the offer of help from the ADF was welcomed.
“Right now, the ACT is monitoring hundreds of people that have been asked to self-isolate while they wait for testing, or they are identified as a close contact of a confirmed case,” Mr Barr said.
“Monitoring these contacts will continue to be an onerous task on our local police force, and the offer of help from the ADF will enable the Territory to more effectively ensure people are doing the right thing.”
He said the current message to all Canberrans was to stay at home.
“No weekend trips to the coast or Sydney or Melbourne,” Mr Barr said.
“No house parties and no large family gatherings.”
Chief Police Officer with ACT Policing, Ray Johnson said there had been no change to its frontline operational response.
“ACT Policing members remain visible and mobile on our roads and in the community,” Chief Police Officer Johnson said.
“Police officers can’t just work from home,” he said.
“They still need to be in police stations and patrolling the streets to provide support and to reassure the community.”
He said ACT Policing had implemented measures to protect its members and the community from COVID-19.
“We have made some changes to our processes behind the scenes, such as meetings and briefings and temporarily reduced or suspended some services for everyone’s safety,” he said.
