Australian capital locks down after single Covid case
12 August 2021, 08:30
Australia's capital has gone into a snap lockdown for a week after a single Covid case was detected and the virus was found in wastewater.
Canberra has joined Melbourne, Sydney and a number of cities in the state of New South Wales in being shut down because of the Delta variant of coronavirus.
Restrictions include preventing residents from leaving home - except for essential reasons - from 5pm on Thursday and closing general retail stores.
Hospitality venues will also only be allowed to sell takeaways, according to an Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government statement.
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Schools will remain open to students who cannot stay at home.
The infection is the first case of community transmission in the capital since 10 July last year.
A resident of Canberra, which has a population of around 460,000 people, had been infectious since Sunday and tested positive on Thursday.
They are believed to be a man who is in his 20s, ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said.
