Five more Canberrans have tested positive to COVID-19, increasing the ACT's tally of confirmed coronavirus cases to 44.

Key points: Five new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the ACT, plus one in Queanbeyan

Five new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the ACT, plus one in Queanbeyan The ACT Government is pushing for more public servants to work from home

The ACT Government is pushing for more public servants to work from home More comprehensive shutdown measures come into effect tonight

The latest numbers come amid concerns from the ACT Government and unions that not enough is being done to ensure federal public servants are enabled to work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The increase of five cases in Canberra is the smallest daily increase since Saturday, when three new cases were reported.

Four of the cases have been linked to overseas travel, while the fifth was a "household close contact" of an infected person.

Of the ACT's 44 cases, three are currently in hospital in a stable condition.

According to NSW Health, Queanbeyan has one recorded coronavirus case, while the surrounding Palerang region has three confirmed cases — an increase of one case overnight.

Earlier this morning, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he held concerns over the number of federal public servants still working at offices rather than at home.

Many public servants have raised concerns with the ABC about poor social distancing, and limited options to work from home, within their departments.

He said he would raise the issue with the National Cabinet when it met tonight.

"There's a particular issue I will be pursuing today in relation to the Australian Public Service (APS)," Mr Barr said.

"I've obviously had a lot of people raise concerns with me that public service departments are being deemed as essential, and in many instances that is absolutely the case.

"But there does need to be some flexibility around work from home arrangements where that's suitable.

"The ACT Government, for our own employees, is making that transition."

Mr Barr's concerns mirrored those of the Community and Public Sector Union, which accused the APS of "dragging its heels" in implementing working-from-home arrangements for staff.

Barr remains sceptical of a national lockdown

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr likened controlling the virus to a game of "whack-a-mole". ( ABC News: Michael Black )

As with the rest of the country, a more extensive shutdown will take hold in Canberra at midnight tonight.

Non-urgent elective surgeries are also set to be delayed at all of Canberra's hospitals and non-essential outpatient appointments will be cancelled or postponed from Thursday.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said Canberra's elective surgery waitlist was being reviewed, to prioritise the most urgent cases.

She said anyone with an elective surgery confirmed and booked would be contacted and told if their surgery was being delayed.

And, she said, more capacity was being created at Canberra Hospital and Calvary — 30 patients from the two hospitals were being moved to the University of Canberra Hospital, in an effort to free up beds for "acutely unwell patients"

These changes bring the ACT into line with other jurisdictions — something Mr Barr said was important due to the territory's geographic position in the middle of NSW.

And he said if more draconian restrictions were introduced in NSW, they would also have to be adopted in the ACT.

But he was sceptical of suggestions Australia implement a full lockdown lasting several weeks, as any new cases could once again get out of control.

"Some have described it as we need to hammer the problem hard now and then we're gonna dance and play whack-a-mole until there is a vaccine," he said.

"Playing whack-a-mole on this for the next 12 months or beyond is a difficult task, and it's a huge ask of the community."