Clarence Valley COVID-19 exposure sites from 27 September 2021

 

On 5 October 2021 Clarence Valley residents learned that four cases of locally acquired COVID-19 had been discovered in their local government area and, later discovered that one or all had been infectious in the community since 27 September 2021.

By 8pm on 8 October 2021 another 3 locally acquired COVID-19 cases had been reported

In recent days it’s become obvious that not everyone was aware that they might need to test and isolate if they had been shopping in the Valley’s only city on certain days, so I am posting the latest list I can find of dates and places.

Coles South Grafton, South Grafton Shopping Centre, Bent Street, Grafton. Exposure dates:

Monday 27 September 2021, 9:45am to 9:50am;

Monday 27 September 2021, 2:30pm to 2:45pm;

Tuesday 28 September 2021, 10am to 11am;

Tuesday 28 September 2021, 4:15pm to 4:30pm;

Tuesday 5 October 2021, 1:20pm to 1:35pm.

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

Australian Community Care Network Grafton, 117 Fitzroy Street, Grafton

Exposure date: Wednesday 29 September 2021, 9:55am to 11:40am

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

Woolworths Grafton, Grafton Shoppingworld, 52-74 Fitzroy Street, Grafton

Exposure date: Sunday 3 October 2021, 4:30pm to 5pm

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

Shell Coles Express Grafton, 91 Bent Street, Corner Spring Street, Grafton. Exposure date: Tuesday 5 October 2021, 12:20pm to 12:30pm.

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

Liquorland South Grafton, 94 Bent Street, Grafton. Exposure date: Tuesday 5 October 2021, 1:30pm to 1:45pm.

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

Craig's Birdplace, 99 Skinner Street, South Grafton. Exposure date: Tuesday 5 October 2021, 2pm to 2:30pm.

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

BIG W Grafton, Grafton Shoppingworld, Corner of Villiers Street and Fitzroy Street, Grafton. Exposure date:

Tuesday 5 October 2021, 3:40pm to 4:10pm.

Tuesday 5 October 2021, 4:40pm – 5:10pm

Health advice: Get tested immediately. Self-isolate until you get a negative result.

[https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/stay-safe/data-and-statistics#toc-map-of-nsw-vaccinations-by-home-postcode-and-lga, & https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/category/media-releases/, retrieved 10 October 2021]

Will NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet follow in Berejiklian & Barilaro's footsteps and abandon the state government's public health responsibilities for regional New South Wales?

When on 16 July 2021 the NSW Coalition Government discovered that the Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2 had entered Australia, the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) covering 7 local government areas in north-east New South Wales had not had a confirmed locally acquired case of COVID-19 infection in its resident population for 107 consecutive days.

There was no community transmission of this highly infectious, lethal disease in any of those seven council areas.

Even after then Premier Gladys Berejiklian, then Deputy Premier & Minister for Regional New South Wales John Barilaro, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, then Treasurer Dominic Perrottet began to pressure their own Crisis Cabinet and conspire with Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook (NSW) Scott Morrison and the big business sector to impose ‘living with Covid’ on the state population, north-east NSW still managed to identify and contain infected people who came into the region from elsewhere. So the region continued to have no local community transmission for another 58 days.  Right  up to 13 September 2021 when a local family who had taken a trip to Greater Sydney brought the virus back with them.

Since then - under multiple tweeks to the public health order which have allowed more mobility in the population generally, demonstrated a growing government aversion to lock downs, exposed a weakening of the test, trace, isolate & quarantine system and revealed a less than transparent NSW Coalition Government - the NNSWLHD has gone from 72 historical COVID-19 cases over the first 13 months of the pandemic (none of which were active after the end of March 2021) to 38 active cases in the last 21 days up to 4 October 2021.

New confirmed locally acquired COVID-19 cases are now being reported daily within the local health district borders.

And with only five days left to the first stage of opening up the state, these seven north-east NSW local government areas have fully vaccinated percentages in their respective populations which by 3 October were still way below the NSW 70% fully vaccinated target set for Monday 11 September 2021:

Tweed Heads LGA - 52.5%

Ballina LGA - 57.8%

Byron Bay LGA - 41.6%

Kyogle LGA - 50.3%

Richmond Valley LGA - 49.8%

Lismore LGA - 47.0%

Clarence Valley LGA - 50.3%

[Australian Government, Operation COVID Shield, 4 October 2021]

The public health risk that these percentages reveal was the reason a cross party letter, from all five state members of parliament whose electorates cover these seven LGAs, was sent to the then Premier & Deputy Premier on 23 September 2021 asking them “to adjust public health orders….by restricting non-essential travel to the North Coast until it too has reached the milestone”.

It is obvious Berejiklian and Barilaro didn’t really give a damn about regional New South Wales, but will Perrottet? 

After all, like Berejiklian, Perrottet’s private residence & electoral office fall within faraway metropolitan local government areas which have exceeded that 70% fully vaccinated population target.

On his first day in office Perrottet has answered that question. According to The Australian  he "will reshape his crisis cabinet to prioritise economic recovery and community wellbeing over day-to-day emergency management in one of his first acts as NSW Premier".

It is apparently Perrottet's intention to allow the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all its forms to run wild in New South Wales.

This is only the start of our region's woes.....

NSW Health, Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 5 October 2021:

There have been six cases of COVID-19 reported in the Northern NSW Local Health District to 8pm yesterday, Monday 4 October.

Five cases are in Casino area of the Richmond Valley Local Government Area (LGA), and one case is in the Kyogle LGA.

Of these six cases, three are household contacts of confirmed cases who had been self-isolating, one is linked to a public exposure location and the source of the remaining two cases is under investigation.

Investigations are continuing into any possible public venues of concern relating to these cases and other cases reported in recent days, and more information will be provided as soon as it’s available.

NSW Health does not disclose details about venues unless there is a public health reason to do so.

There have now been 38 total cases confirmed in Northern NSW since 16 June when the current Delta outbreak in Sydney began. One case is being cared for in hospital, and is in a stable condition.

Stay-at-home orders are in place for Lismore LGA, Casino, and Kyogle LGA until 11 October due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.

Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason, which includes shopping for food, medical care, getting vaccinated, compassionate needs, exercise and work or tertiary education if you can’t work or study at home.

Anyone with even the slightest symptoms should get tested as soon as they feel unwell. There are more than 500 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW. Find a clinic at COVID-19 testing clinics or contact your GP.

We encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are able to. Find available bookings at the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder (previously eligibility checker), or you can also call Health Direct on 1800 571 155 for assistance to book. 

NOTE:

NSW Health appears to be no longer focussing on cumulative COVID-19 infection numbers in local health districts but on current "active" cases. COVID-19 cases will remain statistically active for 14 days after a confirmed diagnosis or until an infected individual is released from hospital - after which they will no longer appear in daily reports.

In NSW 18 regional local government areas & one town have their stay-at-home public health order extended to 11 October 2021 and another regional LGA along with another town are under stay-at-home orders for seven days

 

Last time I looked there were 128 local government & 1 unincorporated area within New South Wales.

On Sunday 11 September 2021 regional residents woke to the realisation that all but 38 of the 87 regional local government areas (or 44% of all regional councils) came out of the state-wide COVID-19 lockdown.

However since then the Delta Variant Outbreak has continued playing a game of musical chairs with regional councils, as infected people from towns in metropolitan areas travelled into the regions seeding as they went.

So now, 20 days since the blanket regional lockdown ceased, due to the current presence of COVID-19 infections 22% of all regional local government areas are fully covered by stay-at-home orders and one regional council has two of its towns covered by these particular orders. In addition to this, COVID-19 fragments are regularly turning up in the state's 100km wide coastal strip, indicating that the virus still remains quite mobile.

Come 11 October in ten days time, when that merry little band of Glad, Brad, John & Scotty push to begin opening up NSW, there is no way every regional local government area will have 70% of their resident population fully vaccinated. As of 26 September 2021 absolutely none had reached that 70% fully vaccinated 'eligible' population target nor is there any guarantee that the virus transmission rate will be low enough in metropolitan areas to avoid a surge in active case numbers.

It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that by the end of October the Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2 may be lighting up more regional areas.

NSW Health, media release 2021:

Changes to stay-at-home orders for regional NSW local government areas

Stay-at-home orders will be extended until 11 October for a number of local government areas (LGAs) in regional NSW due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health risk.

Stay-at-home orders will be extended for the following LGAs until 11 October: Bathurst Regional, Bourke, City of Broken Hill, Central Coast, City of Cessnock, Dubbo Regional, Eurobodalla, Goulburn Mulwaree, Kiama, City of Lake Macquarie, City of Lithgow, City of Maitland, City of Newcastle, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional, City of Shellharbour, City of Shoalhaven, and Wingecarribee.

Due to recent transmission of COVID-19, stay-at-home orders will be introduced for the Snowy Monaro LGA from 3pm today (Thursday) for seven days. These stay-at-home orders also apply to anyone who has the Snowy Monaro LGA since 22 September.

Stay-at-home orders will be lifted, as scheduled, from tomorrow, Friday 1 October, for Mid-Western Regional, Hilltops and Walgett LGAs.

For the Central Darling Shire Council, stay-at-home orders will be lifted from tomorrow, with the exceptions of Wilcannia and Menindee. Stay-at-home orders will be extended in Menindee for a further seven days and in Wilcannia until 11 October.

NSW Health will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation with COVID-19 and will not hesitate to update its advice to protect the health and wellbeing of the people of NSW.

We urge people throughout NSW to continue to come forward for testing at the first sign of even mild symptoms. To find your nearest clinic visit COVID-19 clinics or contact your GP.

High vaccination rates are also essential to reduce the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of the community.

Use the COVID-19 vaccine clinic finder to find your nearest vaccination clinic, or visit: Get your COVID-19 vaccination.

Copy of NSW Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Amendment (No 10) Order 2021 under the Public Health Act 2010, courtesy of the Member for Lismore

Office of the NSW Labor MLA for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, media release, 21 July 2021:

Seeking COVID clarity for business, workers & residents

LISMORE MP Janelle Saffin this week sought clarity from the Office of the Minister for Health on the NSW Government’s working from home direction in regional New South Wales and other related COVID-19 issues.

Ms Saffin said she had raised local businesses’ concerns after Public Health Orders had mistakenly lumped in regional NSW with Greater Sydney, where employers were REQUIRED to direct employees to work from home where reasonably practicable.

“Thankfully, those Public Health Orders were quickly amended and the advice is that employers in regional NSW must ALLOW people to work from home where reasonably practicable,” Ms Saffin said.

“There is a difference in these working from home directions as they apply to Greater Sydney and to here, so hopefully this will clear up any confusion for employers and employees.”

The amended Public Health Orders are attached.

Ms Saffin said she had also sought clarification as to whether anyone, including tradies, could leave the lockdown areas of Greater Sydney to travel to regional NSW for essential work.

“Locals are contacting me concerned that people are coming here from Greater Sydney,” Ms Saffin said.

Here is the Office of the Minister for Health’s response:

For residents of Greater Sydney (other than those living in the Fairfield, Canterbury Bankstown and Liverpool Local Government Areas who are not exempted workers), it is a reasonable excuse to leave your residence for work – but only when it is not practicable to work from home.

People who travel more than 50km outside Greater Sydney for work they are unable to do from home must not enter a premises for work unless they have been tested for COVID-19 in the preceding seven days. Workers must have evidence of the test available for inspection on request by an employer, occupier of the premises, or the police.

We note that any person whose place of residence or usual place of work is in Greater Sydney must still follow the stay at home rules while they are outside Greater Sydney – that is, they should not go to a restaurant or a pub or go shopping for anything other than essential goods. They should only spend time at work and their accommodation while working in regional NSW.

Ms Saffin said she had also expressed the concerns of the local community that we don’t know where the close contacts of the COVID-positive removalists from Chinderah Service Centre and the Coffs Harbour locations went after they were exposed to COVID-19.

“I asked for an update on the contact tracing that has occurred,” Ms Saffin said.

Office of the Minister for Health’s response:

For privacy reasons, NSW Health does not disclose details about venues unless there is a public health reason.

When a confirmed COVID-19 case attends a venue while possibly infectious, NSW Health carries out a risk assessment on that venue to determine whether other people may have been exposed and whether there is a public health risk.

Risk assessments may be re-evaluated as new evidence emerges, for example evidence of transmission of COVID-19 in a specific venue after further contact tracing has occurred.

Further to this, where contact tracing has allowed NSW Health to get in touch with every possible contact at a venue, and it is determined there is no public health risk, a venue will cease to be listed as a venue of concern on the NSW Health site (if it was even listed in the first place).

Mindful that Minister Hazzard is extremely busy dealing with COVID outbreaks, Ms Saffin has requested that he brief all regional and rural MPs on what is being done to keep regional communities safe.

ATTACHMENT

Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Amendment (No 10) Order 2021 under the Public Health Act 2010

NSW Government Gazette, 20 July 2021, Number 331 "Health and Education" by clarencegirl on Scribd

ENDS

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NSW Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021_210720_10.44am by clarencegirl on Scribd

Individuals and communities in New South Wales are feeling the emotional and social stress of two horror years in a row

 

One can hear the stress, fatigue, sadness, helplessness and sometimes despair behind a great many of the tweets and posts on Australian social media - especially from those living in regional areas around the country.

One NSW Labor MP recently observed to me that so many people are now in a dark place.

So sadly, this article comes as no surprise…..

The Daily Telegraph, 1 December 2020:

It was thrust into the national spotlight when 33 people tragically lost their lives in last year’s deadly bushfires. But the NSW south coast holds another unenviable title — the suicide capital of NSW.

In a grim reminder of the mental health battle facing our state, the area from Bateman’s Bay to the Victorian border lost 68 people to suicide between 2015 and 2019.

This is compared to the 33 lives lost to the bushfires which ravaged the region from September 2019 through to January 2020.

Analysis of Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data reveals the south coast has a suicide rate of 21.5 per 100,000 people — the highest rate in NSW and an increase on the previous year.

Taree, Inverell, Yass and the Clarence Valley are the next worst affected. “We are seeing in the coastal regions the cumulative effects of the bushfires, social dislocation and the consequent effects of further trauma through COVID-19,” Professor Ian Hickie of the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre said. “These are the areas where there are already economic impacts, disruption and now there are additional effects. We talk about this idea of stacked distress.” The figures also reveal a yawning gap between suicide rates in the bush and Sydney, where the overwhelming majority of mental health professionals live.

Gosford and Wyong on the Central Coast are the second and third-worst areas in Greater Sydney, behind the Sydney CBD which has a suicide rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

Yet there are 27 other rural and regional locations with a higher suicide rate. Youth mental health expert Professor Patrick McGorry said the statistics “are so shocking — it’s like a war zone”.

“There’s more than 15,500 people who have died in that five-year period (nationwide). If the cause of death were something different — like drownings or car accidents — it would be in people’s faces and on the front page,” he said.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

[my yellow highlighting]

By January 2019 drought affected 99.8 per cent of New South Wales and most of the state was still experiencing drought in January 2020.

The devastating 2019-20 bushfire season commenced early in regional New South Wales. The Clarence Valley fires started at the beginning of June 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic reached New South Wales on 15 January 2020 and first appeared in the NSW Northern Rivers region on or about 16 March 2020. 

In New South Wales in October 2020 unemployment stood at 6.5% and the number of people in the state who were unemployed for periods ranging from up to 4 weeks to 52 weeks and under 104 weeks rose by 148,300 individuals between October 2019 and October 2020.

By July 2020 the employment growth rate stood at 0.0% to -2.4% across the NSW Northern Rivers region.

Fire, drought, fear of infection, public health orders and economic recession significantly affected how coastal communities have lived their lives in the last two years.

According to the federal Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing:

The newly established New South Wales Suicide Monitoring System, launched by the NSW Government on 9 November 2020, reported 673 suspected suicides in NSW from 1 January to 30 September 2020. This is similar to the 672 suspected suicides reported for the same period in 2019 (NSW Ministry of Health 2020). Three-quarters of suspected suicides in 2020 were among males and more than half of all suspected suicides occurred among those aged between 25 and 55 (NSW Ministry of Health 2020).

Again, according to the same source, in New South Wales in 2018 there were a total 899 deaths registered as suicide and in 2019 at total of 937 deaths registered as suicide.

 

The number of registered deaths in 2019 exceeded the 22 year high of 1997 which saw 935 deaths registered as suicide.

The rate of NSW ambulance attendances for mental heath issues in 2019 was 114.3 persons per 100,000 population.

In 2018-2019 a total of 297 males and 388 females were hospitalised for self-harm on the NSW North Coast.

The rate of NSW Northern Rivers hospitalisations for self-harm by females in 2018-2019 ranged from Tweed Valley 181.5 persons per 100,000 population, Clarence Valley 128.3 persons, Richmond Valley-Hinterland 169.6 persons, and Richmond Valley-Coastal 104.2 persons. There are as yet no published figures for 2020.

NSW Labor MLA Janelle Saffin supports rail trail and keeping options open for a return to rail

 

Office of the NSW Member for Lismore, media release, 30 September 2020:

Saffin supports rail trail and keeping options open for a return to rail

LISMORE MP Janelle Saffin has always supported a rail trail for the Northern Rivers as well as a Regional Integrated Transport Plan which includes keeping our rail corridor in public ownership for future rail services – light rail or a Very Fast Train.

Ms Saffin said she had never shied away from this dual position and it was a shame that some commentary on the Transport Administration Amendment (Closures of Railway Lines in Northern Rivers) Bill 2020 was causing division across the community.

“My focus in Parliament last week was on ensuring that the Bill maintained the rail corridor in public hands, able to be brought back to train use without obstacles,” Ms Saffin said.

“I negotiated two amendments with NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole (who introduced the Bill) that strengthened this so I find it perplexing that some people feel the need to attack me and plan to protest outside my office.

“These amendments passed in the Legislative Assembly. The view I had heard many express was that the one-page Bill contained nothing unexpected.

“The Bill is now with the Legislative Council which in October will review and debate it in detail.”

Ms Saffin said that when she was Federal Member for Page, rail trail advocates came to her, and even though it was a State issue, she told them that sounded fine but the rail corridor must remain in public ownership no matter what.

The then Page MP ran a community petition which achieved this goal and while Ms Saffin could not promise to bring back the train, she helped secure funding for a Regional Integrated Transport Plan which included rail transport as an option for the Northern Rivers and the Mid North Coast.

Ms Saffin said she went to the 2019 State election on the public record as supporting the rail trail so this was ‘no big secret’ and she had clearly restated her long-standing commitment to ensuring the rail corridor was protected.

While a few Greens Party members are predicting Ms Saffin will lose the next State election in 2023 because of her support for the Rail Trail Bill, Ms Saffin said this sounded more like political posturing.

“New South Wales has a preferential voting system. Yes, The Greens and Labor exchange preferences but I am not a Green; I shape and make Labor policy based on Labor values of fairness and equity,” Ms Saffin said.

“I meet with and listen to all sides and try my hardest to do what is best for our region.”

There were two Labor Opposition amendments put to the NSW Legislative Assembly with regard to the Transport Administration Amendment (Closures of Railway Lines in Northern Rivers) Bill 2020. Both were agreed to.

Amendment c2020-137A made clearer the bill's intent that the land within the rail corridor between Crabbes Creek and Condong and between Casino and Bentley remain in public ownership and, Amendment c2020-131B outlined the uses to which the land could be put.

The bill passed the NSW Legislative Council on 23 September 2020 with these amendments intact.

Regional town water security virtually ignored for last six years by NSW Coalition Government

The NSW Auditor General’s audit report of 24 September 2020, titled Support for regional town water infrastructure, reveals that state government has failed to meet its responsibilities and fulfil its undertaking for the last six years under the leadership first of Liberal Premier Barry O’Farrell, then of Liberal Premier Bruce Baird and finally of Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian 

In fact NSW Liberal and Nationals politicians didn't begin to get even remotely serious about regional town water security until 2018-19.

Audit Report Executive Summary, excerpt:

"The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (the department) is the lead agency for water resource policy, regulation and planning in NSW. It is also responsible for ensuring water management is consistent with the shared commitments of the Australian, State and Territory Governments under the National Water Initiative. This includes the provision of healthy, safe and reliable water supplies, and reporting on the performance of water utilities.

Ninety-two Local Water Utilities (LWUs) plan for, price and deliver town water services in regional NSW. Eighty-nine are operated by local councils under the New South Wales’ Local Government Act 1993, and other LWUs exercise their functions under the WM Act. The Minister for Water, Property and Housing is the responsible minister for water supply functions under both acts.

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Audit Report Conclusion, section in full:

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has not effectively supported or overseen town water infrastructure planning in regional NSW since at least 2014. It has also lacked a strategic, evidence-based approach to target investments in town water infrastructure.

A continued focus on coordinating town water planning, investments and sector engagement is needed for the department to more effectively support, plan for and fund town water infrastructure, and work with Local Water Utilities to help avoid future shortages of safe water in regional towns and cities.

The department has had limited impact on facilitating Local Water Utilities’ (LWU) strategic town water planning. Its lack of internal procedures, records and data mean that the department cannot demonstrate it has effectively engaged, guided or supported the LWU sector in Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) planning over the past six years. Today, less than ten per cent of the 92 LWUs have an IWCM strategy approved by the department.

The department did not design or implement a strategic approach for targeting town water infrastructure investment through its $1 billion Safe and Secure Water Program (SSWP). Most projects in the program were reviewed by a technical panel but there was limited evidence available about regional and local priorities to inform strategic project assessments. About a third of funded SSWP projects were recommended via various alternative processes that were not transparent. The department also lacks systems for integrated project monitoring and program evaluation to determine the contribution of its investments to improved town water outcomes for communities. The department has recently developed a risk-based framework to inform future town water infrastructure funding priorities.

The department does not have strategic water plans in place at state and regional levels: a key objective of these is to improve town water for regional communities. The department started a program of regional water planning in 2018, following the NSW Government’s commitment to this in 2014. It also started developing a state water strategy in 2020, as part of an integrated water planning framework to align local, regional and state priorities. One of 12 regional water strategies has been completed and the remaining strategies are being developed to an accelerated timeframe: this has limited the department’s engagement with some LWUs on town water risks and priorities. [my yellow highlighting]

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How ordinary Australians fought the 2019-20 bushfire season mega fires