Children and young people are disproportionately contracting COVID-19 in Canberra as the ACT's outbreak grows to 83 cases.
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Of the 16 new cases, 11 are linked to existing infections and five are under investigation.
One of the latest cases is linked to a Turner child care centre. But health authorities confirmed no child from the centre is infected.
Canberra's light rail, bus routes and a Belconnen general practice are among new close contact exposure sites.
NSW has also recorded two new cases at Queanbeyan, which borders the ACT.
Canberra has notched up more than 240 exposure sites while 19,200 people have identified themselves as close contacts.
Children make up 43 per cent of the ACT's cases, while 46 per cent are in people aged 18 to 44.
Ten per cent of cases are in 45 to 64-year-olds, while people aged 65 and older make up one per cent.
The ACT conducted 8796 tests on Wednesday.
The equivalent of eight per cent of the population has been swabbed since Canberra's lockdown was announced.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he's encouraged Canberra isn't seeing an exponential explosion in numbers and by the fact only nine of 83 cases remain under investigation.
"It's unlikely we could just snap back to the level of restrictions that were in place prior to the arrival of the virus into the ACT," he told reporters.
"There will need to be gradual steps forward."
Mr Barr welcomed NSW's extended its statewide lockdown until at least August 28 as Canberra remains vulnerable.
"There is no world in which you can just seal Canberra up in a bubble," he said.
Despite the outbreak, federal parliament is going ahead with a two-week sitting starting on Monday.
Australian Associated Press
