Kempsey, Byron Bay & Tweed Shire local government areas re-enter NSW regional lockdown from 5pm tonight for a minimum of 7 days

 

Kempsey, Byron Bay & Tweed Shire rejoin Lismore City in regional lockdown.....

NSW Health, media release, 21 September 2021:

Stay-at-home order for Kempsey, Byron Tweed LGAs

Stay-at-home orders will be introduced for the Kempsey, Byron Shire and Tweed Local Government Areas (LGAs) from 5pm today for seven days due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.

These stay-at-home orders also apply to anyone who has been in an affected LGA since the following dates:

Kempsey LGA - 14 September

Byron LGA - 18 September

Tweed LGA - 18 September

Everyone in the affected LGAs 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. [my yellow highlighting]

People who are fully vaccinated can attend an outdoor gathering of up to five people for exercise or outdoor recreation, as long as all of those aged 16 or older are fully vaccinated.

To determine the extent of the risk and detect any further potential COVID-19 cases in these areas, we are calling on the communities to come forward for testing in large numbers.

A strong response to testing will be a key factor in determining if these stay-at-home orders are extended beyond one week. High vaccination rates are also essential to reduce the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of the community.

COVID-19 vaccination is available through NSW Health clinics, GPs, pharmacies and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS).

Use the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker to find the nearest vaccination clinic, or refer to Get your COVID-19 vaccination.

A list of regional and rural NSW Health vaccination clinics is available on the NSW Government website.

Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 20 September 2021, excerpt:

One new case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Northern NSW today, and will be included in NSW Health’s official reporting tomorrow (21 September 2021).

Initial investigations indicate that this person has been infectious in the Byron, Ballina and Tweed areas between 18 and 20 September.

The person is not a resident of the Northern NSW Local Health District but is isolating and receiving care in the area. The case travelled on Virgin Flight VA 1141 on 18 September, leaving Sydney at 7:30am and arriving in Ballina at 8:45am.

All passengers and crew are being contacted by NSW Health and will be required to get tested and self-isolate as instructed.

Further contact tracing is currently under way, and we will provide updated information as soon as it is available, including any exposure venues of public concern.

To 8pm on 19 September there were no new confirmed cases among NNSWLHD residents.

Lismore City local government area goes back into regional lockdown from 6pm today, Thursday 16 September 2021

 

Lismore City residents were out of regional lockdown for barely 6 days and then this.....

The Goonellabah Public School remains closed for deep cleaning after a person who attended the school on Monday, September 13, tested positive to COVID-19. 

This individual was infectious in the community from last Sunday, 12 September 2021, and had recently returned from Sydney where they had become infected.

It is believed this person while infectious visited;

Muzza's Milk Bar, 1/5 Oak Street Evans Head on Sunday, September 12, 1:15pm-1:45pm

Silly Solly's, 185 Keen Street Lismore on Tuesday, September 14, 8:55am-9:00am

Lifeline Shop, 71 Magellan Street Lismore on Tuesday, September 14, 9:05am-9:20am

NSW Health, media release, 16 September 2021:

Stay-at-home orders will be introduced for the Albury and Lismore Local Government Areas (LGAs) from 6pm today (Thursday) for one week due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.

These stay-at-home orders also apply to anyone who has been in Albury since 10 September and Lismore since 7 September due to recent COVID-19 exposures.

Everyone in Albury and Lismore LGAs 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. [my yellow highlighting]

Albury and Lismore residents who are fully vaccinated can attend an outdoor gathering of up to five people for exercise or outdoor recreation as long as all of those aged 16 or older are fully vaccinated.

To determine the extent of the risk and detect any further potential COVID-19 cases in these areas we are calling on the communities to come forward for testing in large numbers.

A strong response to testing will be a key factor in determining if these stay-at-home orders are extended beyond one week. High vaccination rates are also essential to reduce the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of the community.

There are more than 500 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week. Testing clinics in Albury and Lismore areas include:

• Albury – Albury Dorevitch Pathology Walk-in Clinic, Lavington Hall, 488 Urana Road Lavington

• Albury - Albury Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology Drive-through Clinic, Demountable Building, Albury Showground

• Wodonga - Albury Wodonga Health COVID Clinic, 79 Vermont, Street

• Wodonga - Wodonga Respiratory Clinic, 224-226 Beechworth Road

• Lismore - Lismore Base Hospital, Uralba Street

• Lismore - Lismore 4Cyte Pathology Drive-through Clinic, 47-49 Dawson Street

• Lismore - Lismore Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology Walk-in Clinic, Shop 12, Wyrallah Road Shopping Centre, 62 Wyrallah Road

• Lismore - Southern Cross University Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology Drive-through Clinic, Southern Cross University, Military Rd, East Lismore

• COVID-19 vaccination is available through NSW Health clinics, GPs, pharmacies and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS).

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

A list of regional and rural NSW Health vaccination clinics is available on the NSW Government website.

A number of regional LGAs have been deemed low risk and have not recorded any COVID-19 cases for the past 14 days.

Stay-at-home orders will be lifted for Bega Valley, Blayney, Bogan, Cabonne, Dungog, Forbes, Muswellbrook, Narrabri, Parkes, Singleton, Snowy Monaro and Upper Hunter Shire LGAs from 1pm today (Thursday 16 September).

However, these LGAs will continue to operate under some restrictions to ensure community safety.

The following freedoms are now available to all people in regional LGAs where stay-at-home orders have been lifted:

Gatherings in the home and public spaces:

• Up to five visitors will be allowed in a home (not including children 12 and under).

• Up to 20 people can gather in outdoor settings.

Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms:

• Hospitality venues can reopen subject to one person per 4sqm inside and one person per 2sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside.

• Retail stores can reopen under the one person per 4sqm rule.

• Personal services such as hairdressers and nail salons can open with one person per 4sqm, capped at five clients per premises.

• Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can open under the one person per 4sqm rule and can offer classes for up to 20 people.

• Sporting facilities including swimming pools can reopen.

Schools:

• Schools will re-open with Level 3 COVIDSafe measures in place.

Stadiums, theatres and major outdoor recreation facilities:

• Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can reopen with one person per 4sqm, capped at 5,000 people.

• Up to 500 people can attend ticketed and seated outdoor events.

• Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with one person per 4sqm or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity.

Weddings, funerals and places of worship:

• Up to 50 guests can attend weddings, with dancing permitted and eating and drinking only while seated.

• Up to 50 guests can attend funerals, with eating and drinking while seated.

• Churches and places of worship to open subject to one person per 4sqm rule, with no singing.

Travel:

• Caravan parks and camping grounds can open.

• Carpooling will be permitted.

Masks:

• Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor public venues, including public transport, front-of-house hospitality, retail and business premises, on planes and at airports.

• Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask when outdoors.

• Children aged under 12 will not need to wear a mask indoors.

For more information, please visit the NSW Government website.

COVID-19 regional lockdown has been removed from the seven local government areas in northeast NSW but lessons learnt need to be included in planning for any future lockdowns

Echo NetDaily, 14 September 2020:

Around 8,000 free meals were given to a dramatically increased number of people needing them in Ballina over the lockdown period starting 9 August.

Organisers at the Rotary branch in Ballina, as well as volunteers for the Ballina Hot Meals service at Ballina’s Masonic Lodge and workers at the Cherry Street Sports Club have all described a rapid spike in people needing help to get by when work and revenue stopped for many in response to the lockdown.

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith raised the alarm early in the lockdown on Bay FM after receiving a letter from the Rotary Club referring to single parents struggling to feed their families, women sleeping in their cars and elderly people needing help.

Many people reportedly lost work in Ballina when retail and hospitality outlets were forced to close or significantly reduce their productivity.

Ballina Hot Meals was offered twice per week, was overwhelmed with demand and in need of extra volunteers.

Ban on church gatherings impacts local homeless service

Ballina Hot Meals has served dinner to the homeless and others in need for more than twenty years but was threatened shortly after the pandemic declaration last year.

A local church had funded the service through money collected during services but ran out of money when in-person events were outlawed under public health orders.

A desperate call for help was issued and that’s where the Cherry Street Sports Club [CSSC] entered the scene.....

Mr Sheehan said the CSSC board last year ‘graciously committed to $25,000 per year for three years’ to get Ballina Hot Meals ‘back up and running and fully funded’.

More recently, Mr Sheehan said the board ‘graciously approved’ to pay club staff through this lockdown.

‘So we ramped up the kitchen again, and started preparing meals,’ he said.

Speaking last week, Mr Sheehan said club workers were ‘just about to hit the 6,000 meal mark’ since the ninth of August, and volunteers still serving dinner twice per week had given away around 2,000, with the food all funded by the club and in-kind donations.

‘So it’s definitely been needed, that’s for sure,’ Mr Sheehan said…..

Read the full story here.