There will be a lot of sleepless nights for business owners around Orange with an MP stating the city won't find out if its lockdown restrictions have been lifted until Thursday.
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Speaking to media on Wednesday shortly after midday, Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders said the decision on those four LGAs waiting - which also included Narromine, Gilgandra and Brewarrina - would be made Wednesday afternoon but only announced on Thursday morning.
"Just a reminder, we are aware there are a lot of people waiting for that information and we'll let you know as soon as we can," he said.
"We'll keep fingers crossed and I know a lot of people are waiting for that information."
Chief executive of the Western NSW Local Health district, Scott McLachlan described how important it would be for businesses to provide COVID-safe environments if and when they open up.
"I think for any business or locality coming out of stay-at-home orders and businesses reopening, one of the most crucial things that we know is that COVID has spread within workforces and shops," he said.
"The vast majority of our spread has been indoors so can I urge anyone that might be running a business and might be thinking about the opportunities of opening up, the most crucial consideration that you'll need to take is what's going to keep the staff and people coming into your business safe."
He added those considerations should come under a business's COVID-safe plan, which should go through everything from how many people you can have in the environment at any time to entry and exit points.
"There should be things you can put in place to have safety for people coming into the business, particularly hand hygiene with the sanitisers," the chief executive said.
"Also QR codes at a really prominent place and generally the COVID-safe plans are a really good guide that everyone should be dusting off."
But as places like pubs and hairdressers prepare to go back to work, others who have been working from home have been advised that might be the way of life for some time to come.
"We've all adapted to working from home for a lot of different industries and services," Mr McLachlan said.
"Over the last 18 months I know there's been a lot of people working from home and I think it makes absolute sense that while there is still real risk of COVID spread in our region, I think that can absolutely be the way we continue for some time.
"Where possible, definitely work from home. Obviously it's a workplace consideration and there's some jobs that can't be done in that environment so people have to take a sensible approach to it."
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