COVIDSafe Update: Friday 23 July

Top things you need to know and do



Additional restrictions extended to Cumberland and Blacktown Local Government Areas

Today the Premier announced further measures to limit mobility across Greater Sydney, labelling the current COVID situation in NSW a national emergency.

Restrictions are being extended to the Cumberland and Blacktown local government areas (LGAs). People living or staying in these LGAs will need to follow the same rules as those in Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown, meaning workers are not allowed to leave their local government area from midnight tonight unless they are on the list of authorised workers.

We ask all our people who live in these areas to follow the guidance and stay at home to protect themselves and their families. Be sure to understand what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

If you live or stay in the Cumberland or Blacktown local government areas, from midnight tonight you must not leave your LGA to attend work even if you are in a frontline role unless your manager has advised you that you are an Authorised Worker and are to attend work.

  • If this applies to you, urgently contact your leader to make sure that they know you live or stay in the impacted LGAs.
  • For our people rostered to work up until 11.59pm tonight or after, the following advice applies:
    • People should attend their shift and where possible should be released so they are able to cease work at 11.59pm. If your shift is cut short, you will be paid until the end of your shift as though you had worked.
    • Where this is not operationally possible, people can continue working past 11.59pm until the end of their shift or until they can be released.
    • In the unlikely event that the order is enforced on our people working past 11.59pm, they will be supported by the Transport Taskforce in resolving the matter.


Authorised Worker and Critical Worker letters

We currently have two letters available for our people. The first is our Authorised Worker letter.

The Authorised Worker letter is the one that is a mandatory requirement for our people who live or stay in the Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland and Blacktown LGAs and have to leave those LGAs for critical work. If this applies to you, you must carry the letter at all times and produce it on request, along with proof of identification such as a Driver Licence, if stopped by police. Please talk to your manager if you need one of these letters.

The other is our Critical Worker letter. This is an optional letter available for you if you live outside these LGAs but you would like the added comfort of having proof of your need to travel to carry out your critical work on you when you are travelling to work in case you get stopped.

Please talk to your manager if you require one of these letters noting that all our people who can work from home should. It’s critical that we all limit our mobility wherever we can.


Get vaccinated asap – that’s the call

The Premier and Chief Health Officer have again flagged that getting vaccinated is the top priority in NSW. We encourage everyone to check their eligibility and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Visit our vaccination page for more information on how we are supporting you to get vaccinated including how to claim two hours pay for your time getting vaccinated.


Update to exemptions on masks – carry proof at all times

Overnight, the Public Health Order on mandatory mask wearing was updated to require anybody with an exemption to carry evidence of their exemption on them at all times. This is so proof of exemption can be provided at any time on request to an enforcement officer. Evidence can be:

  • a medical certificate
  • other written evidence signed by a registered health practitioner or a registered NDIS provider
  • a statutory declaration by the person.

The evidence must set out the medical condition or disability which makes wearing a mask unsuitable. This is now in effect so we recommend our people carry the original letter plus two copies, as a copy may need to be provided to enforcement officers on request. Read our updated mask FAQs here.


Correct personal details in Equip - key

The extension of the restrictions and authorised worker provisions to the Cumberland and Blacktown LGAs is a further reminder of the need to have everyone’s contact details up to date in Equip.

Having your correct contact info is key to being able to support you and communicate with you when and if necessary, especially your address and mobile numbers. If you’re not sure how to check and update you details, use this handy user guide.


Seeking EOIs - NSW Health COVID-19 support roles

Our colleagues at NSW Health are currently managing a high volume of calls from the general public concerned about COVID-19 and they need more help. To assist with this important work, NSW Health is looking for suitable employees from across government sectors who are willing to be temporarily redeployed to assist with delivering these critical services over the coming weeks. If you are interested and available, please read more information on these roles and details on how to apply here. Note the opportunity is not open to labour hire or professional service contractors. Before applying be sure to check with your leader first.


Remain vigilant, support available

Wherever you live in NSW it’s important that you remain vigilant at this time and follow the guidance on what to know and do. Importantly, it’s not just about our physical health, as our mental health and wellbeing is so important as well. We’ve updated our list of tools and resources on stayinformed – check it out and reach out!