News

Get the latest news on COVID-19 and what it means for you.

Get the latest news on COVID-19 and what it means for you.

  • Updates to the NSW border with ACT and Victoria

    Due to the continuing spread of the Delta strain more states are being impacted. The ACT has now gone into a 7 day lockdown and Vic have announced changes to their border bubble arrangements with NSW. There are also new restrictions for entry into NSW for people who have been in ACT since 5 August.

    For the latest information on border restrictions you should visit the NSW Government website. Because the changes announced this week in the ACT and Vic may affect a number of our people, we have outlined the changes below.

    NSW restrictions for entry from ACT

    An updated NSW Health Concerns Notice has been issued and the ACT has been added to the list of Affected Areas and Areas of Concern from 5pm 12 August 2021. Anyone over 16 years old who has been in the ACT since 12:01am 5 August 2021 must complete a traveller self-declaration on entry into NSW.

    It is also a requirement of the order that any person who has been in the ACT which is an Area of Concern, must travel to their residence or accommodation and not leave without a reasonable excuse for 14 days. Work is a reasonable excuse where it cannot be done from home so they are permitted to continue working however must self-isolate when not working.

    ACT restrictions

    The ACT has extended their lockdown, to run until 2 September. If you live in one of the approved postcodes below you can enter the ACT but only for essential reasons, which includes for work.

    You must carry identification with you at all times to prove your residency in one of the approved postcodes as this may be checked at any time by ACT Police.

    If you are an authorised service provider in the below postcodes you can still provide passenger services in the ACT, as this is essential work. If you live outside these postcodes and need to enter the ACT for essential work or healthcare reasons, you will be required to seek an exemption.

    Approved postcodes:

    • 2581 - Gunning, Collector
    • 2582 - Murrumbateman, Yass
    • 2584 - Binalong
    • 2611 - Uriarra
    • 2618 - Wallaroo, areas along the ACT’s north-western edge
    • 2619 - Jerrabomberra
    • 2620 - Queanbeyan, Googong, Karabar, Sutton, Gundaroo
    • 2621 - Bungendore
    • 2623 - Captains Flat
    • 2626 - Bredbo and Michelago

    Victorian border bubble changes

    From 6:00pm Friday 13 August 2021 residents of the NSW-Victoria cross border community area will be required to obtain a ‘Cross border community – Extreme Risk Zone Permit’ to enter Victoria. This permit allows you to enter the border bubble area in Victoria if you are travelling for one of the permitted reasons, such as for work. More information can be found here and you can apply for the permit at Services Victoria

    For our people who need to cross the border for work you can apply for a ‘Specified Worker (other) permit’ under the category of ‘essential service worker’ and use that to cross in the event you don't qualify as Victorian border region residents. You can apply for the ‘Specified Worker (other) permit’ here.

  • Vaccination key to keeping construction running in NSW

    With new COVIDSafe measures in place for the construction industry and increasing numbers of community transmission the message from the NSW Government is clear - book your vaccination as soon as possible at a clinic near you.

    There are new COVID-19 vaccination requirements for people who work on construction sites and live in a Local Government Area (LGA) of concern but as we have seen, the list of LGAs of concern is changing regularly and so while the new rules may not apply to you today that could change quickly.

    Vaccination Super Sunday for construction workers from affected areas this Sunday

    This weekend NSW Health are running ‘Vaccination Super Sunday’ at the Sydney Olympic Park Vaccination Centre as well as the South Western Sydney Vaccination Centre and Prariewood walk-in clinic. This is to help support construction workers to get vaccinated that are subject to the new COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Priority booking will be given to constructions workers that live in the affected LGAs of Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Parramatta and the suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.

    For any of our people who this applies to please see details below;

    Sydney Olympic Park Vaccination Centre

    • If you are over 18 years of age you can book an appointment for an AstraZeneca vaccine. You will need two doses of the vaccine 4-6 weeks apart.
    • The centre is located at 1 Figtree Drive, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
    • On the day you will need to bring photo ID as well as proof of your place of work (white card).
    • You must not attend your vaccination appointment if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. Please get tested and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result.

    South Western Sydney Vaccination Centre

    • If you are between 16 and 39 years of age you can book an appointment for a Pfizer vaccine. You will need two doses of the vaccine at least 8 weeks apart.
    • If you are over 39 years of age you can book an appointment for an AstraZeneca vaccine. You will need two doses of the vaccine 4-6 weeks apart.
    • The centre is located at Glenquarie Town Centre, corner of Victoria Road and Brooks Street, Macquarie Fields.
    • On the day you will need to bring photo ID as well as proof of your place of work (white card).
    • You must not attend your vaccination appointment if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. Please get tested and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result.

    Prariewood walk-in clinic

    • Anyone aged 18 and over can access the AstraZeneca vaccine.
    • This is a walk-in clinic. No bookings are required.
    • The clinic is located at 194-222 Restwell Road, Prairiewood.
  • Bayside, Burwood and Strathfield LGAs added to list of LGAs of concern

    Due to a notable increase in community transmission in recent days, it was announced today that the Bayside, Burwood and Strathfield Local Government Areas (LGAs) will now be part of the areas of concern list, along with the previously identified LGAs of concern, and will have additional restrictions from 5pm today, Thursday 12 August.

    The Bayside, Burwood and Strathfield LGAs will now be subject to the same Authorised Worker restrictions as in the existing LGAs of concern, those being Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta and 12 specified suburbs in the Penrith LGA. This means workers in the Bayside, Burwood and Strathfield LGAs are not allowed to leave their LGA for work unless they are on the list of authorised workers.

    It is vital that all of our people who live in the Bayside, Burwood and Strathfield LGAs follow the guidance and stay at home to protect themselves and their families. Masks need to be worn whenever you are outdoors (except when in an outdoor area of a residential property or outdoor common property such as the backyard of an apartment block). Be sure to understand exactly what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

    Please note - surveillance testing is only required for Authorised Workers in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA or some Authorised Workers in the construction industry.

    If you live or stay in the Bayside, Burwood or Strathfield LGAs, from 5pm today 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 Bayside, Burwood or Strathfield LGA.
    • For our people rostered to work up until 5pm 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 5pm. 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 5pm 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 5pm, they will be supported by the Transport Taskforce in resolving the matter.

    Know that additional support is available for all our people who need it. Please talk your leader or your people partner about your individual circumstances and check the list of resources including important phone numbers on stayinformed.com.au.

  • Stay-at-home orders for Newcastle and the Hunter extended

    Due cases continuing to rise in the region the Premier has announced a one week extension of the stay-at-home orders for Newcastle and the Hunter. The restrictions are now in place for the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock Local Government Areas (LGAs) until 12.01am Friday 20 August.

    The rules in place for these LGAs are the same that are already in place across Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast. Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for one of the 4 essential reasons;

    • Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
    • Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine)
    • Exercise in groups of no more than 2 within your local government area or up to 10km from your home
    • Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

    For our people who live or stay in the Hunter and Upper Hunter Region LGAs please be assured that you can continue to come to work if your work cannot be done from home and you do not need an Authorised Worker letter to do so. Be sure to understand what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

    We understand this is a difficult time for you and the local community and remind you that it’s now more important than ever that if you have even the mildest of symptoms you come forward for testing to help find any COVID-19 cases in the area.

  • Stay-at-home orders for Western NSW LGAs

    To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for the local government areas of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren, effective from 7pm Wednesday 11 August until 12.01am 19 August 2021.

    Following updated health advice from NSW Health about the growing risk to the community, stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in these areas, or have been there on or after 5 August 2021.

    The rules for this area will be the same as those already in place across Greater Sydney, as well as Dubbo, Tamworth, Northern Rivers, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

    Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for one of the 4 essential reasons;

    • Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
    • Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine)
    • Exercise in groups of no more than 2 within your local government area or up to 10km from your home
    • Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

    For our people who live or stay in these LGAs please be assured that you can continue to come to work if your work cannot be done from home and you do not need an Authorised Worker letter to do so. Be sure to understand what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

  • Construction industry update

    An amendment to the Public Health Order made overnight introduced a number of changes that relate to the construction industry and are now in effect.

    The Authorised Worker list has now been amended to allow workers who live or stay in the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of concern to leave their area for work if they work on a construction site in Greater Sydney including at a construction site in a local government area of concern, as long as they comply with the new COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

    These changes mean a number of our people can now get back to work and activity on our constructions sites in the LGAs of concern can resume. It’s important to understand the new rules and how they apply so please read the information below or on the NSW Government website.

    COVID-19 vaccination requirements for people who live in the LGAs of concern

    If you live in or are temporarily staying in a local government area of concern, from 12:01am on Wednesday 11 August 2021 you must not enter or remain at a construction site in Greater Sydney unless you have;

    • had 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or
    • had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before Wednesday 21 July 2021 or
    • had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine after Wednesday 21 July 2021 and you have been tested for COVID-19 in the past 72 hours (3 days) or
    • evidence of a medical exemption and you have been tested for COVID-19 in the past 72 hours.

    If you are required to have a COVID-19 test to enter or remain at a construction site, you must have a COVID-19 test once every 72 hours. Construction workers can request a COVID-19 vaccination exemption for medical reasons.

    Evidence of vaccination or exemption

    You must;

    • carry evidence of your vaccination, COVID-19 test, or medical exemption and
    • produce that evidence to your employer, the occupier of a construction site, a police officer or an authorised officer, if requested and
    • carry proof of your address.

    Evidence of your vaccination can include an;

    Evidence of your COVID-19 test can include an SMS text message or email from the testing organisation. Evidence of your medical exemption must be from a medical practitioner in the form approved by the NSW Chief Health Officer.

    Local government areas of concern

    From 11 August 2021, work is permitted at constructions sites in the local government areas of concern provided occupiers of these construction sites:

    Capacity of workers at construction sites

    From 11 August 2021, construction sites that are permitted to operate in Greater Sydney can have the lesser of:

    • 1 person per 4 square metres of space at the construction site; or
    • 50% of the maximum daily workforce.

    The maximum daily workforce is the maximum number of workers on site on any day from the start to the end of the project. The maximum daily workforce must be derived from the current resourcing plan for the construction site.

    Construction sites that are permitted to operate in regional and rural NSW (including affected areas of regional and rural NSW) can have the greater of either 1 person per 4m2 at the site or a maximum of 25 persons at the site at any one time.

  • Stay-at-home orders for Dubbo LGA

    NSW Health has been notified of two cases in the Dubbo Local Government Area (LGA) overnight. To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for the Dubbo LGA, which includes Wellington, Wongarbon, Geurie, Brocklehurst, Stuart Town, Mumbil and Eumungerie, effective from 1pm Wednesday 11 August until 12.01am Thursday 19 August 2021.

    Following updated health advice from NSW Health about the growing risk to the community, stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in these areas, or have been there on or after 1 August 2021.

    The rules for this area will be the same as those already in place across Greater Sydney, as well as Tamworth, Northern Rivers, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

    Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for one of the 4 essential reasons;

    • Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
    • Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine)
    • Exercise in groups of no more than 2 within your local government area or up to 10km from your home
    • Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

    For our people who live or stay in the Dubbo LGA please be assured that you can continue to come to work if your work cannot be done from home and you do not need an Authorised Worker letter to do so. Be sure to understand what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

  • Stay-at-home orders for Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire LGAs

    It was announced late yesterday that a COVID positive case had been active in the community in Byron Bay and three other shires.

    To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions have been introduced for the Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire Local Government Areas (LGAs), effective from 6pm Monday 9 August until 12.01am Tuesday 17 August.

    Following updated health advice from NSW Health, stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in these areas or have been there on or after 31 July.

    The rules for these areas will be the same as those already in place across Greater Sydney, as well as Tamworth, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

    Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for one of the 4 essential reasons;

    • Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
    • Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine)
    • Exercise in groups of no more than 2 within your local government area or up to 10km from your home
    • Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

    For our people who live or stay in these LGAs please be assured that you can continue to come to work if your work cannot be done from home and you do not need an Authorised Worker letter to do so. Be sure to understand what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

    NSW Health update the list of exposure sites regularly and you can check the list here and if you have even the mildest of symptoms please immediately isolate and have a COVID-19 test. Find a clinic near you.

  • Stay-at-home orders for Tamworth LGA

    Overnight a case of a young woman who had been exposed to the virus in Newcastle and travelled to Tamworth while infectious has been identified.

    To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, stay at home orders will be introduced for the Tamworth Local Government Area from 5pm today until 12.01am Tuesday 17 August. The orders will apply to all people who live in these areas or have been there on or after 5 August 2021.

    The rules for Tamworth area will be the same as those already in place across Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

    Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless it is for one of the 4 essential reasons;

    • Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
    • Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine)
    • Exercise in groups of no more than 2 within your local government area or up to 10km from your home
    • Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

    For our people who live or stay in the Tamworth LGA please be assured that you can continue to come to work if your work cannot be done from home and you do not need an Authorised Worker letter to do so. Be sure to understand what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

    Also as a number of contact venues have been identified in Tamworth check the list here and if you have even the mildest of symptoms please immediately isolate and have a COVID-19 test. Find a clinic near you.

  • Additional restrictions for 12 suburbs in the Penrith LGA from 5pm

    Due to a notable increase in community transmission in recent days, twelve suburbs in the City of Penrith Local Government Area (LGA) will now be part of areas of concern, along with the eight previously identified LGAs of concern, and have additional restrictions from 5pm today Sunday.

    These suburbs, which are adjacent to the Cumberland and Liverpool LGAs, are Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair, and St Mary’s.

    The 12 specified suburbs in the Penrith Local Government Area (LGA) will now be subject to the same Authorised Worker restrictions as in the eight existing LGAs of concern, those being Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta. This means workers in the specified 12 Penrith LGA suburbs are not allowed to leave their areas unless they are on the list of authorised workers.

    It is vital that all of our people who live in the specified 12 Penrith LGA suburbs follow the guidance and stay at home to protect themselves and their families. Masks need to be worn whenever you are outdoors (except when in common property such as the backyard of an apartment block). Be sure to understand exactly what you can and can’t do under the new rules.

    If you live or stay in one of the specified 12 Penrith LGA suburbs, from 5pm tonight you must not leave your area 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 one of the specified 12 Penrith LGA suburbs.
    • For our people rostered to work up until 5pm 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 5pm. 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 5.pm 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 5pm, they will be supported by the Transport Taskforce in resolving the matter.

    Know that additional support is available for all our people who need it. Please talk your leader or your people partner about your individual circumstances and check the list of resources including important phone numbers on stayinformed.com.au.

Page last updated: 29 Apr 2022, 11:47 AM