COVID UPDATE – WED – NO SHOPPING OUTSIDE HAWKESBURY – CONTACTLESS TRADIES ALLOWED – 4 WEEKS LOCKDOWN

Three extra local government areas (LGAs) are being locked down – that doesn’t yet include the Hawkesbury – but in all areas in the lockdown – including the Hawkesbury – from midnight tonight you cannot now travel outside the area to shop.

“We don’t want anyone to go shopping outside their LGA,” said the Premier this morning.

Under the rules, you must limit your shopping to within the Hawkesbury, or, if outside the LGA, within 10km from home, unless the item is not available locally – so a few get outs there.

Year 12 students will go back to school from August 16. Between now and then a vaccination drive will begin to get all Y12 students in the 8 locked down LGAs vaccinated.

Extra Pfizer vaccines for students are being pulled from regional NSW, while teachers are encouraged to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Construction and tradies

From 12.01am, Saturday, 31 July

• Construction in non-occupied settings outside of the LGAs of concern (with no residents on-site) will re-open as planned, subject to a one person per 4sqm rule. These low-risk construction sites must have COVID safe plans in place, compliance will be strictly enforced. Construction cannot resume in the eight LGAs of concern, nor will construction workers be allowed to leave these areas.

• Trades people, including cleaners who are able to work with zero contact with residents will also be allowed to resume (no more than two people inside and five outside). If contactless arrangements are not possible, work cannot go ahead. This work will not be allowed in the eight LGAs of concern, nor will workers be allowed to leave these areas.

• A singles bubble will also be introduced, allowing people who live alone to nominate one designated family member or friend to visit for companionship. Restrictions will apply for people in the LGAs of concern.Construction can restart – but only outside of the 8 locked down LGAs – at sites where there are no people living – so mostly new buildings.

Financial help

There will be increased disaster payments, as well as more financial help for businesses – more detail on that soon but the Premier said: “Please note that it involves extra payment for disaster payment so if you are out of work, you will get extra dollars every week and only need to apply once. Every week the money goes automatically to your account. If you are out of work or have reduced hours, please do not worry, you will get that weekly payment.

“The additional category of people to get assistance are those on some kind of payment from the Commonwealth but not enough to keep them going so that gap will also be closed.

“People with existing allowances, will also get a top up to make sure you keep going during the next month. Businesses will also get extra support.

“It would have not been possible us to come out of lockdown on Friday,” said the Premier.

“It would not have been realistic to make a decision about the next two weeks,” she said.

There were 94,000 tests carried out in NSW in the last 24 hours.

There were 177 new NSW cases, 46 infectious in community.

“That’s the key number [46 today] we are really looking at,” said the Premier, “we need that number to come down to close as zero as possible.”

The three additional locked down LGAs are Parramatta, Georges River, and Campbelltown.

Here’s the link to all of the NSW Government official changes/revisions in detail, with relevant times – https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/certainty-for-community-as-restrictions-adjusted-and-vaccines-ramped-up

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