The ACT Health Minister has called on Canberrans not to holiday in regional NSW as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads, sending more of the state into lockdown.
Rachel Stephen-Smith said non-essential travel into regional NSW wasn't advised as 14 more local government areas are now subject to quarantine requirements in the ACT.
"Don't travel if you don't need to at this point in time, because the chances of you then potentially being subject to stay-at-home requirements or quarantine are reasonably high," she said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said anyone who did decide to go away this weekend should pack their own food from home, to minimise potential exposure in other communities.
"Make sure that you are taking any extra precautions to look after yourself that you can, like potentially buying your own food here in the ACT and being self-sufficient wherever you're going," she said.
"So if you're going camping or you're going to stay in a house or an apartment somewhere, you can pretty much keep to yourself.
"Please reconsider your need to travel, but if you do travel, please take all the precautions possible to ensure that you are not the vector for bringing COVID-19 into the ACT."
ACT residents returning from 14 NSW council areas including Shoalhaven City Council, will be sent into 14-days quarantine, matching requirements which have been in place for several weeks for locked down Greater Sydney.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the "conservative approach" was taken due to concern the virus had seeded into regional areas and detection of virus fragments in wastewater.
"We're taking this very cautious approach in order to absolutely minimise the risk of seeding of COVID-19 into the ACT, so that we can maintain our current position," the Health Minister said.
"We know that if we get a case we have quite eased restrictions in the ACT and that reproductive capacity of the virus in the ACT would be quite high."
There have been five COVID-19 cases detected in the Hunter region of NSW, causing the region to be placed under a one-week lockdown as of 5pm Thursday.
There have been no recorded cases in the Shoalhaven region over the past week, but there were Covid fragments detected in wastewater at the Wollongong and Bomaderry sewage catchments.
The Bomaderry sewage catchment serves 18,000 people in the suburbs of Bomaderry, Cambewarra, Cambewarra Village, Meroo Meadow and some parts of North Nowra.
Additionally, anyone entering the territory from Victoria is subject to stay-at-home orders from the same time, an arrangement expected to last until August 12.
There are 3500 people in Canberra under stay-at-home orders after returning from south east Queensland while that state is under lockdown, which hoped to end on Sunday.
Another 684 people are in quarantine after entering from Greater Sydney.
Stay-at-home orders are less intensive than quarantine. Under stay-at-home orders people can leave for reasons including to do essential shopping, an hour of exercise per day or for essential work and study that cannot be completed from home.
Anyone aged above 12 must wear a mask when they leave the house.
