All of regional NSW entered a snap, state-wide lockdown from 5pm Saturday.
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Deputy premier John Barilaro made the announcement via social media earlier in the day, shortly before 2.30pm.
"To minimise movement and protect our communities from the evolving COVID situation in Sydney, stay-at-home orders will be introduced for all of Regional NSW from 5pm tonight," Mr Barilaro said.
"Reasonable excuses to leave your home include shopping for essentials, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise with a member of your household or one other person, and work, if you cannot work from home. Schooling will be conducted from home."
Western NSW Local Health District (WNLHD) confirmed the stay-at-home order for Orange and all of regional NSW shortly afterwards, announcing that the lockdown would take effect from 5pm, Saturday, August 14, until 12.01am on Sunday, August 22.
This new order replaces any existing orders in regional NSW.
For the next week, everyone must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave. They also cannot have visitors in their home from outside their household, including family and friends.
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.
All hospitality venues must be closed to the public, including pubs, restaurants and cafes, except for takeaway.
Retail premises are required to close except for:
- supermarkets and grocery shops,
- shops that predominantly sell food or drinks eg butchers, bakeries, fruit shops and delicatessens, but does not include restaurants or cafes.
- chemists and pharmacies,
- kiosks
- shops that predominately sell office supplies, pet supplies, newspapers, magazines and stationery, alcohol, maternity and baby supplies, medical or pharmaceutical supplies
- food and drink premises, but only to sell takeaway
- cellar door premises, but only to sell takeaway
- hardware and building supplies
- landscaping material supplies
- rural supplies
- timber yards
- garden centres and plant nurseries,
- vehicle hire premises, not including the premises at which vehicles are sold,
- shops that predominately carry out mobile phone repairs.
Service stations, banks, post offices, laundromats and drycleaners can remain open.
Anyone who leaves their home must carry a mask with them at all times. They must be worn when working outdoors, by all school staff, by all people in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips, and in an outdoor queues waiting for products such as coffee and food.
Every employer across NSW must require their employees to work from home unless it is not reasonably practicable.
It is a reasonable excuse to leave your home for work - but only if it is not practicable to work from home.
There will be a one-day 'grace period' for planned weddings and funerals in the regional areas that have not already been subject to a lockdown - which includes Orange.
NSW Health is urging people to continue to present for testing with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms.
Drive-thru COVID testing clinics will continue to operate at Orange's Wade Park and at the Orange Showgrounds.
Bookings are not required at either of these sites.
Wade Park will operate from 8am - 4pm Monday- Friday and from 8am-12pm Saturday (closed Sunday).
Orange Showgrounds is open 7 days from 8am - 4pm.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of taste or smell. Other reported symptoms include fatigue, acute blocked nose (congestion), muscle pain, joint pain, headache, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, unexplained chest pain and conjunctivitis. It is important to maintain high testing rates to identify as many cases in the community as quickly as possible, NSW Health has said.
State's 'most concerning day' of the pandemic so far
The snap lockdown comes after NSW recorded its "most concerning day" of the pandemic so far with 466 total cases of COVID-19.
While in the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) 26 new cases were confirmed on Saturday morning - 16 of which were in Dubbo and one in Walgett.
Prior to WNLHD's formal announcement about the snap-lockdown on Saturday afternoon, multiple MPs posted messages on their Facebook and Twitter accounts confirming residents' fears.
It is understood that NSW Health considered restricting the lockdown to just western NSW local government areas before deciding to extend it across the state.
There were more than 9000 tests done in the western region on Friday and more than 5000 of those were in Dubbo.
No cases in the western area are currently in hospital. The two people in hospital announced on Friday have since been released.
Dubbo exposure sites updated
On Saturday, WNLHD updated the Dubbo list of exposure sites to include another nine venues.
The latest to be added to the list is Fitness Focus - Gymnastics Area - which was added to the NSW COVID-19 case locations shortly before 1.30pm.
Anyone who attended this venue on Monday, August 9, from 3.53pm to 5.05pm is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result.
The full list can be found on the NSW Health website, which is regularly updated.
On Saturday morning, these Dubbo sites were added:
- Bawrunga Medical Service, 2/207 Brisbane Street. Wednesday, August 4.45pm-5.45pm
- Snap Fitness gymnastics area, 113 Darling Street. Tuesday, August 10. 4.30pm - 5.30pm
- Dubbo Sportsworld, 163 Sheraton Road. Tuesday, August 10. 4.45pm- 6pm
- Blues Meats, 91 Tamworth Street. Wednesday, August 11. 1.20pm - 1.30pm
- United Petrol Station, 195 Cobra Street. Thursday, August 12. 12.20pm - 12.40pm
- Woolworths Delroy Park, Minore Road, Wednesday, August 11. 11.30am - 11.45am.
- Woolworths Orana Mall, 56 Windsor Parade, Monday, August 9 3pm - 3.15pm and Tuesday, August 10 2.30pm to 3pm.
- IGA West Dubbo, Victoria Street. Wednesday, August 11. 11am - 11.30am.
These sites were added on Thursday morning:
- McDonald's West Dubbo, 101 Whylandra Street. Friday, August 6 3.35pm to 3.55pm
- Bunnings Dubbo, Cnr Mitchell Highway and Sheraton Road. Monday, August 9. 8.12am to 8.20am
- Dan Murphy's, Cnr Windsor Parade and Birch Avenue. Monday, August 9. 2pm to 2.20pm
- Myall Street Mini Mart, 272 Myall Street. Monday, August 9. 3.35pm to 3.45pm
- Fitness Focus Dubbo, 7 Jannali Road. Monday, August 9. 3.53pm to 5.05pm.
- Dubbo Uniting Service Station, 195 Cobra Street. Monday, August 9. 4.25pm to 4.28pm.
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