NSW and ACT governments drop the customary holiday double demerit enforcement

The decision was made so as to fall in line with the NSW government, which announced its decision to suspend the double demerit enforcement on Monday.

In a statement this week NSW Police Minister David Elliott said that with most of his state unable to travel, it "made sense to remove the double demerits that traditionally were imposed on long weekends".

"This doesn't mean you won't get fined if you do the wrong thing. The police will still be out in force. This is more about giving people a break after a long, tough year," Mr Elliott said.

MORE COVID-19 NEWS:

But for ACT residents, the long weekend does not permit travel into NSW, including to the South Coast.

ACT Health has advised that should anyone decide to travel, it must only be for essential reasons, and "you must abide by all public health directions in place in NSW and the ACT".

This includes changing travel plans and adhering to public health instructions upon your return.

ACT residents are currently in lockdown until October 15 while residents of 10 postcodes outside the territory - the so-called "border bubble" area - are allowed to cross the border provided they are either deemed as exempt workers, or it is for an essential purpose and they fill out the necessary online exemption form.

Hotels and motels, campgrounds, and caravan parks in the territory will reopen from October 15.

ACT residents been told broadly there'll be "less restrictive" travel in our region from October 29, but whether you can travel interstate will be shaped by other states.

Customarily, when double demerit enforcement is in place, points which apply for speeding, seat belts, motorcycle helmet and mobile phone offences are doubled during holiday periods and run from midnight on the start date to midnight on the finish date.

Police in the ACT have estimated that traffic volumes have dropped by around 60-70 per cent since the ACT lockdown came into effect on August 12. However, volumes have risen since restrictions eased and tradies were allowed to return to work.

Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: