Residents across the Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands will continue to follow the 'stay at home' orders that have been placed on regional communities.
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The regional NSW lockdown came into effect on Saturday August 14, 5 pm.
What does that mean for residents across the Southern Highlands and Tablelands?
Essential shopping is permitted across the regions, where residents can freely travel across the local government area for supplies. A 10 km radius applies to anyone who is travelling into an LGA they do not reside in.
While residents previously could have up to five visitors in their homes, visitors will no longer be permitted until the 'stay at home' orders have been lifted. A single bubble has been introduced.
It also means businesses and hospitality venues will only operate on a limited scale or temporarily close.
A restriction on funeral numbers has also been introduced, with a maximum of 10 mourners allowed.
For a full breakdown of the rules in restrictions in regional NSW, read below.
There are currently five reasonable excuses to leave your home according to the advice of NSW Health.
They include:
- Obtain food or other goods and services locally
- Leave home to go to work if you cannot reasonably work from home or if the business is allowed to open.
- Leave home for education if it is not possible to do it at home
- Exercise and take outdoor recreation in the local government area you live in or if you need to cross into another local government area, stay within 10km of your home
- go out for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination.
Residents in the Southern Highlands are able travel freely in the Wingecarribee Local Government area and can travel up to 10 km into another local government area for essential items.
Travel restrictions:
- If travelling by a private vehicle (car), do not share a car with other people you do not live with.
- Only 1 person per household may leave their home to shop for food or other goods and services (you may take a dependent person with you if that person cannot be left at home on their own).
- You may take a dependent person with you if that person cannot be left at home on their own.
- Go directly to and from the shops to get what you need. Do not spend time looking at other things.
Singles bubble:
If you live alone - which means there are no other adults who live in the same home - you can have a nominated visitor.
You do not need to register your nominated visitor. The nominated visitor must reside in the same local government area as you.
A nominated visitor is one person you can socialise with at your place of residence who
- can only be one person (and their dependent children, if there are no alternative care arrangements)
- can visit you on more than one occasion
- is not a nominated visitor for another person
- lives in or is staying in the same local government area that you live in or are staying in.
Exercise and outdoor recreation:
- Stay within your local government area or, if you need to cross into another local government area, stay within 10 km of your home.
- If travelling by a private vehicle (car), do not share a car with people you do not live with, except your nominated visitor ("singles bubble").
- You can exercise with 1 other person that you do not live with, or your nominated visitor ("singles bubble").
- If you live with more than 2 other people, you can all go out together for exercise.
Travelling by car:
You may only travel in a car with other people that you live with, unless it is for
- an emergency
- a compassionate reason
- to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
- the car is being used as a taxi or rideshare.
You are allowed to share the car with a person you do not live with (carpool) if you are
- required to use a vehicle for your work (for example, if you are a police officer working in a team of 2 people)
- travelling with your nominated visitor ("singles bubble") to exercise outdoors
Proof of address:
You must carry proof of your address if you are exercising outdoors or have left your home for recreation.
You must show your proof of address if asked by the NSW Police.
Other reasonable excuses:
It is also considered a reasonable excuse to leave your home if you need to
- donate blood
- access childcare
- continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children
- attend a funeral or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services
- provide care or assistance (including personal care) to a vulnerable person or to provide emergency assistance
- only one person may visit a residence to provide care at any one time
- only one person may visit a residence to provide care at any one time
- only one person may visit a residence to provide care at any one time
- access social services, employment services, services provided to victims (including as victims of crime), domestic violence services, and mental health services
- move to a new place of residence, or between your different places of residence or inspecting a potential new place of residence within regional or rural NSW
- undertake legal obligations
- avoid injury or illness or to escape the risk of harm
- in case of emergencies
- for compassionate reasons, including where 2 people are in a relationship but do not necessarily live together
- to provide pastoral care if you are a priest, minister of religion or member of a religious order
- gathering at Parliament for the purpose of its normal operations.
Taking a holiday is not a reasonable excuse.
Working from home:
In local government areas where the stay at home rules apply, employers must allow an employee to work from home if the employee is reasonably able to do so.
Businesses that do not require employees to work from home if they are reasonably able to do so face a fine of up to
- $10,000 for corporations and
- $2,000 for individuals.
If you cannot work from home and you go to your workplace that is allowed to be open, you must wear a face mask (unless an exemption applies).
If you cannot work from home and you go to your workplace, follow the rules for wearing a face mask.
Face masks:
In local government areas where the stay at home rules apply, when you leave home you must carry a face mask with you at all times.
You must wear a face mask
- in all indoor areas of non-residential premises
- at certain outdoor gatherings
- if you are on public transport
- in a major recreation facility such as a stadium
- if you are working in a hospitality venue
- in indoor and outdoor areas of construction sites, except when an exemption applies such as when
- wearing a face mask creates a safety issue or
- there is a worksite emergency
- wearing a face mask creates a safety issue or
- there is a worksite emergency
- wearing a face mask creates a safety issue or
- there is a worksite emergency
- when working in an outdoor area.
Face masks must be worn at indoor or outdoor areas of a fresh food market.
Common indoor areas in residential buildings:
You must wear a fitted face mask when you are in an indoor area of common property in a residential building that is
- strata titled
- community titled or
- company titled.
You do not need to wear a mask inside your own apartment.
Common areas where you must wear a mask include
- a shared foyer or lobby of an apartment block
- lifts, stairwells and corridors
- shared laundry facilities.
Masks must be worn by anyone entering including
- residents and visitors
- building managers, concierge staff and cleaners
- people providing goods and services including tradespeople and contractors
- people delivering food, mail and parcels.
Visiting regional and rural NSW
You must not enter regional and rural NSW without a reasonable excuse.
A permit system to enter regional NSW will be introduced from 12.01am, Saturday, 21 August:
Travel to regional NSW for any of the following reasons is only allowed if you have a permit which will be made available on the Service NSW website.
If you are
- an authorised worker from one of the local government areas of concern
- inspecting real estate in regional NSW and you genuinely need a home to live in (not an investment property)
- travelling to your second home and you are
- using the home for work accommodation
- need to undertake urgent maintenance, repairs, or attend to animal welfare (in which case, only one person may travel to the second home).
- using the home for work accommodation
- need to undertake urgent maintenance, repairs, or attend to animal welfare (in which case, only one person may travel to the second home).
- using the home for work accommodation
- need to undertake urgent maintenance, repairs, or attend to animal welfare (in which case, only one person may travel to the second home).
Visitors to a residence:
Generally, visiting another person is not a reasonable excuse to leave your home.
You must not allow a person to visit your home, except if it is
- for permitted work
- for childcare
- to give effect to arrangements between parents and children under 18 or their siblings
- to assist a person to move places of residence
- to avoid an injury or serious risk of harm
- because of an emergency
- to view or inspect property to lease or purchase it.
Socialising isn't a reasonable excuse to have visitors or leave home unless you live on your own. If you do live on your own, your nominated visitor can visit you.
Caring and compassionate visits:
You are allowed to visit a home - and have a person visit your home - for caring and compassionate reasons including
- providing care to vulnerable people
- visiting a person you are in a relationship with but do not live with.
Only one person may visit a place of residence at any one time to:
- fulfil carers' responsibilities
- provide care or assistance to vulnerable people and/or
- for compassionate reasons.
You may bring a dependent child with you, if they need supervision and childcare arrangements are not reasonably available.
When visiting, you may be asked to provide information to NSW Police about your visit.
Real estate auctions and open inspections:
The following activities must not take place in the local government areas where the stay at home rules apply.
- Auctions that people attend in person.
- Open inspections of properties, although inspections may be conducted by private appointment for one person only.
You must follow the stay at home rules if you are a real estate agent or a prospective purchaser and you live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in the local government areas where the stay at home rules apply.
Follow the rules and restrictions for your local area if you are a real estate agent or a prospective purchaser and you live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in
Funerals and memorial services
From Monday 16 August 2021, in local government areas where the stay at home rules apply, a maximum of 10 people can attend a funeral or memorial service or gathering afterwards.
People from regional NSW can attend a funeral or memorial service in regional NSW.
They can only attend a funeral or memorial service in Greater Sydney if they are the spouse, de facto partner, parent, child or sibling of the deceased person
The 10 person maximum also applies to an outdoor funeral, memorial service or gathering afterwards. A funeral cannot occur at a place of residence.
In addition to the 10 people attending the service there may also be
- a person conducting the service
- other people who are necessary for the preparation and conduct of the service.
Businesses that can be open:
Businesses providing essential products and services that can be open include
- supermarkets
- grocery stores including
- butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable, seafood
- other food or drink retailers that predominantly sell or display food or drinks
- butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable, seafood
- other food or drink retailers that predominantly sell or display food or drinks
- butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable, seafood
- other food or drink retailers that predominantly sell or display food or drinks
- kiosks and other small food and drink premises
- petrol stations
- banks and financial institutions
- hardware, building supplies
- landscaping material supplies
- agricultural and rural supplies
- shops that, in the normal course of business, operate as or sell and display
- pet supplies
- newsagents
- office supplies
- chemists providing health, medical, maternity and baby supplies or
- liquor stores
- pet supplies
- newsagents
- office supplies
- chemists providing health, medical, maternity and baby supplies or
- liquor stores
- pet supplies
- newsagents
- office supplies
- chemists providing health, medical, maternity and baby supplies or
- liquor stores
- post offices
- garden centres and plant nurseries
- vehicle hire premises, not including the premises at which vehicles are sold;
- shops that predominantly carry out repairs of mobile phones
- laundromats and drycleaners.
Places closed to the public:
The following places in the local government areas where the stay at home rules apply are directed to be closed to the public.
- Retail premises, except for limited exceptions.
- Pubs and registered clubs except for
- selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site and
- providing accommodation, including allowing food and drinks to be consumed in a person's room.
- selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site and
- providing accommodation, including allowing food and drinks to be consumed in a person's room.
- selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site and
- providing accommodation, including allowing food and drinks to be consumed in a person's room.
- Food and drink premises, except for
- selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site
- selling food to be consumed in a person's room if in a hotel or motel
- if the premises are part of a shopping centre, selling food or beverages for people to consume outside of the shopping centre
- holding a funeral or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services.
- selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site
- selling food to be consumed in a person's room if in a hotel or motel
- if the premises are part of a shopping centre, selling food or beverages for people to consume outside of the shopping centre
- holding a funeral or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services.
- selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site
- selling food to be consumed in a person's room if in a hotel or motel
- if the premises are part of a shopping centre, selling food or beverages for people to consume outside of the shopping centre
- holding a funeral or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services.
- Entertainment facilities, such as theatres, cinemas, music halls, concert halls and dance halls.
- Amusement centres, such as places to play billiards, pool, pinball machines or video games.
- Micro-breweries or small distilleries holding a drink on-premises authorisation under the Liquor Act 2007 or cellar door premises, except for selling food or beverages for people to consume off the premises.
- Indoor recreation facilities such as squash courts, indoor swimming pools, gyms, table tennis centres, health studios, bowling alleys and ice rinks.
- Places of public worship, except for the purposes of conducting a funeral service or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services.
- Hairdressers, spas, nail salons, beauty salons, waxing salons, tanning salons, tattoo parlours, massage parlours.
- Auction houses
- Betting agencies and gaming lounges
- Markets, except for food markets
- Caravan parks and camping grounds, except for
- permanent residents or other people who have no other place of permanent residence, and their visitors
- people who were staying there on Thursday 5 August and have not extended their booking
- local workers and overnight travellers.
- permanent residents or other people who have no other place of permanent residence, and their visitors
- people who were staying there on Thursday 5 August and have not extended their booking
- local workers and overnight travellers.
- permanent residents or other people who have no other place of permanent residence, and their visitors
- people who were staying there on Thursday 5 August and have not extended their booking
- local workers and overnight travellers.
- Sex on premises services
- Sex services premises
- Strip clubs
- Public swimming pools (except natural swimming pools, which may open)
- National Trust properties and Historic Houses Trust of NSW properties (other than retail shops)
- Nightclubs
- Casinos, except for selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site and providing accommodation, including allowing food and drinks to be consumed in a person's room.
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
