Chief Minister Andrew Barr has pledged free rapid COVID-19 tests will be in place before ACT students return to classrooms, but there is still no guarantee that will be on day one of the school year.
Mr Barr said distributing free rapid antigen tests in schools will also ease the pressure on scarce supplies in the private market and make it easier for others to buy the kits.
However, the precise detail on how school will return at the start of Term 1 in just over a week is still to be determined and whether students can commence the year will depend on supplies of testing kits arriving.