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Reasons for the lockdown
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COVID-19 virus fragments were found in sewage from the Hunter and Newcastle regions which were alarmingly high.
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3 cases were detected in two Hunter schools.
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5 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 in the Newcastle area.
Lockdown duration
The lockdown will commence at 5pm on Thursday, 5 August 2021 until 12:01am on Friday, 13 August 2021.
Impacted LGAs
The local government areas impacted are:
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Cessnock,
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Dungog,
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Lake Macquarie,
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Maitland,
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Muswellbrook,
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Newcastle,
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Port Stephens, and
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Singleton.
Level of the lockdown restrictions
The State Government announcement says that same restrictions that apply to the Greater Sydney (excluding the Georges River, Parramatta, Blacktown, Cumberland, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool and Campbelltown LGAs) will also apply on the above-mentioned Impacted LGAs. These restrictions are set out in the current Public Health Order (PHO) which can be accessed at;
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/infectious/covid-19
In summary, in addition to the current restrictions relating to mask wearing and gatherings already in place for regional NSW, Members should be specifically aware of the following restrictions:
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Residents in these areas must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason as specified in Schedule 1 of the PHO.
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They also cannot have visitors in their home. This applies to all social visits from those outside your household, including family and friends.
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Only one person per household may leave home to obtain food or other goods and services each day.
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No more than two (2) persons may participate in an outdoor gathering.
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Restrictions apply to travelling in vehicles and only family members are allowed together save for a limited number of exceptions.
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You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave your home.
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You may go out for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID vaccination.
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You can leave home for work only if you cannot reasonably work from home and the business is allowed to be open. The list of business to close is set out in Schedule 2 of the PHO. In the view of MTA NSW outside of retail operations, the list does not cover Members businesses
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People still can have one visitor at one time to fulfil carers’ responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but do not live together.
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Exercise can be taken within your local government area or up to 10km from your home.
Members should immediately review their operations to ascertain which staff are able to work from home.
If any Member has a query in relation to the operation of the Public Health Order for Greater Sydney, please contact the Employment Relations Team on P: (02) 90169000 or at E: eradvice@mtansw.com.au
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