Density limits will be scrapped and employees will be able to return to their workplaces as the ACT government relaxes several of the city's remaining COVID-19 restrictions.
From 6pm tonight, all density limits that currently apply to businesses across the ACT will be removed, and businesses will no longer be required to display capacity limit signs.
Canberrans will also be able to sing and dance again at nightclubs, and the requirement to be seated while eating and drinking in hospitality venues will be removed.
Ticketing and pre-registration for events will no longer be required, but indoor masks are still mandatory for now — changes to these requirements will be announced by the ACT government next week.
"I'm pretty shocked, excited, I can't explain my emotions at the moment," Fiction nightclub's Frank Tapia said.
"You know, to come back without restrictions now is a big sigh of relief."
A 'gradual' end to working from home
Also from 6pm today, employees can return to the workplace "where it suits them and their employer".
About 54,000 federal public servants work in Canberra, making up just under a quarter of the city's workforce.
However, a large number of private contractors also work alongside them.
Each government agency has adopted different policies on working from home.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said whether staff return en masse would depend on each agency head's decisions, rather than ACT government advice.
Mr Barr said today's changes would likely affect hundreds, rather than thousands, of ACT Public Service staff.
A survey of Australian Public Service staff last year found a third wanted to keep working at home all or most of the time.
Melissa Donnelly, national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, said she would like the transition managed in a "safe and sensible manner".
"What's critical is that we don't rush it," she said.
"We know when these processes are rushed, people can be returned too quickly and the appropriate safety plans aren't in place. We don't want to risk the progress we've made."
More changes forecast in coming weeks
The ACT government also announced today that elective surgery will restart at Calvary Hospital in Bruce from Monday, February 21.
From 11:59pm on February 21, the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated international travellers will be reduced to seven days.
From February 25, exemption requirements for all events will be removed — however events with more than 5,000 people will need to submit COVID safety plans to ACT Health for review.
Today's changes bring the territory in line with New South Wales, where singing and dancing returns today and QR codes are being phased out.
Mr Barr said Canberra's stable COVID-19 case numbers were behind the loosening of restrictions.
"While we recognise the situation could change if a new variant of concern emerges or there is a surge in cases, this step is designed to minimise the disruption of COVID-19 on our local businesses when it is safe to do so."
However, Mr Barr warned that as we head into winter, more COVID-19 challenges could arise.
"We are cautiously optimistic… but we have the expectations of a third wave combining with the flu season in winter, so that still remains a period of concern," he said.
He said the one certainty going into the future months was that there would be more changes to public health measures as the territory responds to evolving COVID-19 situations.
The suite of changes comes as the ACT records 561 new COVID-19 infections, and sees a fall in the number of patients in hospital.
There are now 2,706 people in Canberra known to be infected, the highest number in almost two weeks.
However, only 45 patients are in hospital, down from a high of 68 in January. Two patients are in intensive care.
More than three in every four ACT children aged five to 11 have now received at least one vaccine dose.
