Minister out of isolation after children were close contacts

Canberra Greens MLA Rebecca Vassarotti will savour her one-hour walk and grocery shopping, after she and her family left isolation on Thursday night.

The ACT minister was one of thousands of Canberrans forced into quarantine over the past two weeks.

Ms Vassarotti had to quarantine as her children were deemed close contacts, after their school was listed as an exposure site.

The family have been stuck at home since Sunday, August 15.

"We were informed on Sunday night, that we as a family would have to quarantine as my children were close contacts," Ms Vassarotti said. "And as secondary household contacts, that meant that we were all in a situation where we needed to quarantine.

"Fortunately because the exposure was on Thursday night it meant that it wasn't quite 14 days, but thankfully because we'd gone into lockdown, we had been very minimal in our movement before then anyway."

ACT Greens MLA Rebecca Vassarotti has left quarantine. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

Household transmission of the virus has become more widespread in Canberra in recent days. While Ms Vassarotti's children did not test positive for the virus she said this amplified why secondary household contacts also needed to isolate.

"It's really important for secondary contacts, particularly to ensure they are quarantining because they are at a significant risk," she said.

"What we're seeing, particularly in terms of some of the transmission, it's really, really vital that we all quarantine if we're in that situation."

While in quarantine, Ms Vassarotti has also worked the entire time. She said it was an interesting contrast to receive briefings on the issues while she also experienced it.

"Thankfully the internet has meant that we've still been able to, you know, fully participate in my job, which has sort of been very intense, over the recent weeks," she said.

"It's one thing to be sort of getting the briefings in relation to how this situation is play out but it's actually interesting to be on the other side of it.

"Particularly when we consider this huge logistical exercise that needed to happen with thousands upon thousands of people having to be tested."