THE LONG LIST OF CRITICAL RETAIL PREMISES YOU CAN ENTER IF YOU ARE UNVACCINATED OR HAVE ONLY RECEIVED ONE VACCINATION DOSE, PLUS CHECK-IN & FACEMASK RULES - COMMENCING 11 OCTOBER 2021 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE,

NSW Health:

Rules for critical retail premises

Anyone is allowed to enter critical retail premises. Critical retail premises are:

• supermarkets

• grocery stores

• shops that mainly sell food or drinks, like butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable shops, and delicatessens

• kiosks

• petrol stations

• banks and financial institutions

• hardware and building supplies

• landscaping material supplies

• rural supplies

• shops that mainly sell:

• pet supplies

• newspapers, magazines or stationary (for example, newsagents)

• office supplies

• maternity or baby supplies

• medical or pharmaceutical supplies (for example, chemists)

• alcohol (for example, liquor stores)

• post offices

• garden centres and plant nurseries

• vehicle hire businesses but not businesses that sell vehicles

• shops that mainly carry out repairs of mobile phones

• laundromats and drycleaners.

For any other retail premises, or a business that provides goods or services, you can only visit these premises if the business chooses to offer Click-and-Collect.

If you visit critical retail premises, you must:

• check in with the Service NSW app or provide your contact details to the occupier

• follow the face mask rules.

Exemptions

Vaccination rules do not apply to people who are at your premises:

• because of a service to assist vulnerable members of the public, for example a food bank or a service providing for the needs of homeless persons;

• to purchase food or beverages to be consumed off the premises;

• to attend a small funeral or memorial service or small wedding service;

• to use a click and collect service.

Rules for certain businesses in regional and rural NSW

If your business is re-opening at 70% fully vaccinated and your staff live outside Greater Sydney, your staff have longer to become fully vaccinated.

Greater Sydney includes Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Shellharbour and Wollongong local government areas.

If your business is located outside Greater Sydney, you are still required to ensure all people over the age of 16 who visit your premises (except for your staff) are fully vaccinated.

Rules for staff at certain businesses in regional and rural NSW

If you:

Live outside Greater Sydney (including Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Shellharbour and Wollongong local government areas) and

Work at a business that is re-opening at 70% fully vaccinated

you can go to work on 11 October 2021 if you have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.

By 1 November 2021, you can only go to work if you are fully vaccinated.

Face mask rules from 11 October 2021

Everyone in NSW will be required to wear a face mask in:

• in an indoor area of premises other than a place of residence, or
• in an indoor area on common property for residential premises, or
• at a public transport waiting area or in a vehicle or vessel being used to provide
• a public transport service, or
• working at a hospitality venue and dealing directly with members of the
• public, or
• on a domestic commercial aircraft, including when the aircraft is flying above NSW.

You can remove your face mask if you are:

• eating or drinking

• communicating with another person who is deaf or hard of hearing

• at work, and:

• the nature of the work makes the wearing of a fitted face covering a risk to the person's, or another persons' health and safety,

• where clear enunciation or visibility of your mouth is essential

• where the work is in an indoor area and no other person is in the area

• asked to remove their mask for identity purposes

• in an emergency situation

• providing goods and services and you need to remove your mask to provide those goods or services properly

• doing exercise except in an indoor area as part of a gym class

• at a correctional centre, place of custody, or hospital

• a resident at an aged care were facility

• a guest in a hotel/motel room and in your room

• in the process of getting married

• working alone in an office (until another person enters)

You need to wear your face mask again as soon as the reason for taking it off has ended.

For the fill list of Dos and Don’ts go to: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/business/covid-safe-business/vaccination-rules-for-businesses-their-staff-and-customers#toc-rules-for-businesses-opening-at-70 

Know your household plan for the 2021 bushfire season underway in the Northern Rivers region

 

A small 53ha bushfire out at Glenreagh in the Clarence Valley this month is a timely reminder that the 2021 Northern Rivers region bushfire season has been underway since 1 September.

https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/files/assets/public/home-page/news/files/cv-bushfire-preparedness-infographic.pdf

Clarence Valley Council advice:

Know your risk

Do you live in a bushfire prone area? Undertaking a bushfire risk assessment of your property may help you consider the risks. Look at the type of vegetation near your property, its flammability and its proximity to your home. This will help you determine the risk of bushfire impacting your home. It is also worth considering your access to water. In the event of the power supply being cut, will you still have access to water for fire fighting purposes?

Be aware

Think about how fire may impact your home. You can mitigate the risk by managing the landscape around your property and by ensuring flammable items are not left near your home. A well-maintained lawn will also significantly reduce the risk of fire.

Plan

Have an emergency plan that outlines what you and your family will do in the event of a fire. Ensure you consider your pets in this plan.

Get ready

Don’t leave your planning until the last minute. As the weather starts to warm up, it’s time to start thinking about bushfire risks, prepare your property and organise your family. Make sure you share your bushfire plan with friends and family.

Now is a great time to:

• Create a home emergency kit

• Share a survival and evacuation plan with your family and friends

• Clear around your home

• Clean the gutters

• Check your insurance cover

• Install longer hoses

• Invest in a fire sprinkler system to protect your home

• Download the Fires Near Me app

In the event of an emergency, the Clarence Disaster Dashboard provides essential information. You will find the latest information on fires, flood and traffic incidents, power and water outages, radio and social feeds all in one emergency dashboard. It also is linked to live updates from MyRoadsInfo, with the current road conditions.

www.emergency.clarence.nsw.gov.au/dashboard/overview

#GetReadyClarenceValley

State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is calling for a blanket ban on mineral mining in the Northern Rivers region to protect water catchments which feed into the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed river systems

 

From the Office of NSW Labor MLA for Lismore Janelle Saffin, media release, 8 October 2021:

‘Gold, silver, copper & cobalt diggers’ be gone

STATE Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is calling for a blanket ban on mineral mining in the Northern Rivers region to protect water catchments which feed into the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed river systems.

Ms Saffin wants the NSW Government to agree to a moratorium on mineral mining, revoking all licences for exploration or active mining, and financially compensating affected companies like it did with Shenua’s open-cut coal mine near Gunnedah.

Ms Saffin says she stands with thousands of local residents campaigning against a wave of ‘gold, silver copper and cobalt diggers’ who have our pristine back country firmly in their sights.

As Federal Member for Page from 2007 to 2013, Ms Saffin worked with local communities to repel the Coal Seam Gas industry from the region because of the threat to our water resources, and continues to support the activism of the Knitting Nannas.

And before this, as Labor’s candidate for Page, she helped torpedo Federal Coalition plans to dam and divert the mighty Clarence River inland.

“I’m proud of my track record of protecting our most precious resource – water – and our traditional industries like farming, fishing and tourism which help to sustain the economic prosperity of our local communities,” Ms Saffin said.

“’The Nationals in Government’ appear to be prepared to ignore the groundswell of anti-mining sentiment in their electorates to appease mining companies who will come and plunder for quick profits then potentially leave an environmental mess behind for future generations.”

With Parliament resuming next week, and despite COVID-19 issues expecting to dominate, Ms Saffin will speak on the fundamental need to protect our water during a debate scheduled in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, 14 October.

This debate was triggered after Ms Saffin on 9 June submitted a community petition with the Lower House, calling for a moratorium on future mineral mining, both exploratory or active, in the Clarence Catchment and surrounding Local Government Areas.

The petition was collected by the Clarence Catchment Alliance and has been signed by almost 11,000 mainly local residents of the Clarence Valley and Northern Rivers.

“I have met with Alliance representatives and agree that the risks of tailings dam failure from mineral mining, which is quite different from normal quarry operations, are too high, particularly in our high rainfall and floodprone region,” Ms Saffin said.

“I see where five councils – Kyogle, Coffs Harbour City, Bellingen Shire, Glen Innes-Severn Shire and Byron Shire -- have shown solidarity with Clarence Valley Council’s resolution seeking a mining moratorium in the Clarence Valley and which former Deputy Premier John Barilaro effectively ignored.”

For more information on the Clarence Catchment Alliance and the community petition go to https://linktr.ee/Nominesclarencevalley

Delta Variant Outbreak in Northern NSW in October 2021: the hubristic, elitist, city-centric world view of Perrottet will be the region's undoing

 

The NSW Delta Variant Outbreak began on 16 June 2021 and due to state government public health mismanagement quickly spread across Greater Sydney.

However, apart from infected individuals briefly visiting or driving through the seven council areas in north-east NSW within the Northern NSW Local Health District or locals returning home after being infected elsewhere, no local community transmission occurred until after the Morrison-Berejiklian-Hazzard push for people to accept that they need to ‘start living with COVID’.

The region’s first community transmissions began after 13 September 2021 – at that time these seven local government areas had been free of locally acquired community transmission for 165 days.

The Clarence Valley was the last to have Delta Variant community transmission occur when on or about 5 October it was discovered that 4 local residents in the Grafton postcode area were infected with COVID-19.

The number of infected people in the Grafton area stood at 7 by 8pm on 8 October 2021.

However, NSW Health record keeping is becoming somewhat erratic between jurisdictions and, on the basis of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ it is possible that the total may be nearer to 9 infected Clarence Valley residents.

Despite average vaccination rates across Northern NSW local government areas being markedly less than the 70% of the population 15 years of age and older set  by the National Cabinet, Premier Dominic Perrottet is ignoring the public health implications for regional areas and, for this one in particular with it high numbers of retirees in combination with its limited number of public hospitals adequately staffed and equipped to treat very ill COVID-19 patients.

With infection numbers still growing and sources of infection not yet fully explored - especially in the Clarence Valley - Perrottet has decided the business sector and budget deficits are more important than the state's most enduring resource, its people.

Like his predecessor, seemingly preferring to listen primarily to party political donors, vested business interests and the politically self-interested opinions/advice of Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook (Sydney) Scott Morrison, Perrottet has decided to open up the Northern Rivers region to Greater Sydney: 

• Domestic travel, including trips to regional NSW, will be permitted. 

 With only an oral one liner of 'no day trips' before 25 October 2021, coming from the Deputy Premier Paul Toole as a cynical figleaf.

Just 35 hours remain until trying to stop the infection spread gathering momentum becomes much harder for local communities.

Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 9 October 2021:

To 8pm 8 October, seven new cases of COVID19 have been reported for the Northern NSW Local Health District.

Of these, three cases are in the Grafton area of Clarence Valley Local Government Area (LGA), two are in the Kyogle LGA, one in the Lismore LGA and one case is in the Ballina LGA,

One of the Kyogle cases is a household contact of a positive case. The Ballina case and Lismore case are linked to known clusters.

Investigations into the sources of the other infections is underway. Contact tracing is underway to determine any venues of concern, and public health teams have begun contacting a number of close contacts associated with these cases.

Four cases are being cared for in hospital, all are in a stable condition.

To 8pm 8 October, there have now been 64 total cases confirmed in Northern NSW since 16 June when the current Delta outbreak in Sydney began.

We would like to remind the community of expanded clinic hours available in Grafton this weekend:

Grafton Base Hospital, 184 Arthur Street, Grafton, open seven days. Saturday and Sunday 7am – 7pm.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHOLE OF NEW SOUTH WALES COVID-19 STATUS

NSW Health, media release, excerpt, 9 October 2021:

NSW recorded 580 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

One new case was acquired overseas in the same period, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 68,057.

Sadly, NSW Health is reporting the deaths of eleven people who had COVID-19 – three women and eight men. One person was in their 50s, one was in their 60s, four people were in their 70s, two were in their 80s, and three were in their 90s.

Five people were from south-western Sydney, three were from western Sydney, and three were from south-eastern Sydney.

Four were not vaccinated, three had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and four had received one dose.

A woman in her 80s died at the Hardi Guildford Aged Care Facility, where she acquired her infection. This is the sixth death associated with an outbreak at the facility.

A woman in her 80s died at the Allity Beechwood Aged Care Facility, where she acquired her infection. This is the fifth death associated with an outbreak at this facility.

NSW Health extends its sincere condolences to their loved ones.

There have been 425 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021 and 481 in total since the start of the pandemic.

There have been 62,384 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in this outbreak was reported.

There are currently 812 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 163 people in intensive care, 75 of whom require ventilation.

There were 79,894 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 103,388…….

To 11.59pm on Thursday 7 October across NSW, 89.8 per cent of the over-16 population had received a first dose COVID-19 vaccine, and 71.5 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Of the 580 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 130 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 98 are from Hunter New England LHD, 74 are from Western Sydney LHD, 54 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 42 are from Sydney LHD, 42 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 41 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 31 are from Central Coast LHD, 20 are from Southern NSW LHD, 17 are from Western NSW LHD, nine are from Northern Sydney LHD, seven are from Northern NSW LHD, six are from Far West LHD, four are in correctional settings and five are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

NSW Health's ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 in sewage samples collected from across NSW, including West Wyalong in the Riverina region, Dungog in the Hunter New England region, Crescent Head on the mid north coast, Ballina on the far north coast, Gulargambone in western NSW and Merimbula in southern NSW.

Everyone in these areas is urged to monitor for the onset of symptoms, and if they appear, to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received…...

Cartoons of the Week

Cathy Wilcox

Mark David

Perrottet, Toole & Hazzard appear determined to keep Clarence Valley communities in almost Stygian darkness when it comes to their COVID-19 status

It has taken an instore notice posted at Coles South Grafton to make Clarence Valley residents aware that what appear to be locally acquired Covid-19 infected individual/s have been moving freely about the Grafton area since at least 27 September 2021.

It wasn't until almost 3 hours after the Coles instore notice (below) was shared on Twitter that 3 Grafton venues of concern were actually named by @NNSWLHD.

Just not good enough, NSW Health!

7 new cases confirmed for NNSWLHD to 8pm last night. 4 are in Clarence Valley LGA, 1 is in Ballina LGA and 2 are in Byron LGA.
Contact tracing is underway and public health teams have begun contacting a number of close contacts. https://t.co/GxUhHPgroT pic.twitter.com/vRQbTieXeN

— Northern NSW Local Health District (@NNSWLHD) October 7, 2021

DATA NSW, 6 October 2021:

Northern NSW Local Health District, Positive COVID-19 Infections for Post Code 2460, Grafton & environs, Clarence Valley, NE NSW, as of 6 October 2021

Positive COVID-19 infection notification numbers are

#66390

#66534

#66595

#66598

https://twitter.com/lori_australia/status/1446014834223435780/photo/1

Where the rain has been falling across Australia so far in 2021

The Weekly Times (Online), 3 October 2021:

AUSTRALIA’S WETTEST TOWNS OF 2021 VERSUS THE LONG-TERM AVERAGE

1. Carnarvon, WA – 408mm (186 per cent of its 12-month average)

2. Forbes, NSW – 813mm (169 per cent)

3. West Wyalong, NSW – 657mm (152 per cent)

4. Condobolin, NSW – 581mm (145 per cent)

5. Bega, NSW – 862mm (137 per cent)

6. Tibooburra, NSW – 244mm (136 per cent)

7. Mt Hope, NSW – 512mm (133 per cent)

8. Cunderdin, WA – 399mm (133 per cent)

9. Taree, NSW – 1450mm (133 per cent)

10. Braidwood, NSW – 827mm (132 per cent)

11. Ivanhoe, NSW – 298mm (128 per cent)

12. Morowa, WA – 355mm (126 per cent)

13. Albany, WA – 1002mm (126 per cent)

14. Walgett, NSW – 518mm (125 per cent)

15. Lake Cargelligo, NSW – 519mm (125 per cent)

16. Trangie, NSW – 612mm (124 per cent)

17. Orange, NSW – 1047mm (119 per cent)

18. Inverell, NSW – 902mm (117 per cent)

19. Cootamundra, NSW – 674mm (117 per cent)

20. Moree, NSW – 650mm (117 per cent)

21. Warialda, NSW – 796mm (117 per cent)

22. Temora, NSW – 609mm (116 per cent)

23. Texas, Queensland – 752mm (115 per cent)

24. Dubbo, NSW – 635mm (115 per cent)

25. Grenfell, NSW – 711mm (115 per cent)

26. Hillston, NSW – 423mm (115 per cent)

27. Pilliga, NSW – 632mm (114 per cent)

28. Mungindi, NSW – 574mm (114 per cent)

29. Young, NSW – 673mm (114 per cent)

30. Narrabri, NSW – 617mm (114 per cent)

31. Cairns, Queensland – 2264mm (114 per cent)

32. Bombala, NSW – 624mm (112 per cent)

33. Cowra, NSW – 708mm (111 per cent)

34. Glen Innes, NSW – 961mm (111 per cent)

35. Bourke, NSW – 325mm (110 per cent)

36. Goulburn, NSW – 589mm (110 per cent)

37. Canberra, ACT – 639mm (110 per cent)

38. Coonabarabran, NSW – 700mm (109 per cent)

39. Moss Vale, WA – 736mm (108 per cent)

40. Nowra, NSW – 937mm (108 per cent)

41. Busselton, WA – 728mm (107 per cent)

42. Taralga, NSW – 852mm (106 per cent)

43. Barraba, NSW – 730mm (106 per cent)

44. Omeo, VIC – 667mm (105 per cent)

45. Narrogin, WA – 513mm (104 per cent)

46. Narrandera, NSW – 445mm (104 per cent)

47. Cobar, NSW – 344mm (103 per cent)

48. Albury, NSW – 625mm (103 per cent)

49. Bathurst, NSW – 616mm (103 per cent)

50. Yarrawonga, VIC – 472mm (102 per cent)

51. Newdegate, WA – 375mm (102 per cent)

52. Grafton, NSW – 1009mm (102 per cent)

53. Katanning, WA – 453mm (102 per cent)

54. Gelantipy, VIC – 790mm (102 per cent)

55. Peak Hill, NSW – 568mm (101 per cent)

56. Tamworth, NSW – 623mm (101 per cent)

57. Gabo Island, VIC – 942mm (101 per cent)

58. Wagga Wagga, NSW – 570mm (100 per cent)

59. Wongan Hills, WA – 386mm (100 per cent)

60. Bendigo, VIC – 501mm (100 per cent)

61. Parkes, NSW – 619mm (100 per cent)