Australian police have given thousands of protesters until the end of today to leave occupied areas of the country’s capital, as days-long rallies continue against Covid-19 vaccine mandates.

Several thousand protesters remained in place at Canberra's major showgrounds, while fewer than 100 demonstrators were gathered near the federal parliament building, an Australian Capital Territory police spokesperson told Reuters.

"They must be out by today," the police spokesperson said, declining to say what action authorities would take if protesters refused to comply with demands to leave.