NSW COVID-19 UPDATE - 70% DOUBLE VACCINATION

As NSW starts to reopen having reached the 70 per cent double vaccination target, the new Order will introduce significant changes to the COVID-19 controls in place. Changes introduced by the Order include: 

• No part of NSW will be subject to stay at home orders. Areas can be made stay at home areas in future amendments of the Order, depending on the COVID-19 situation. The restrictions that would be applicable to a stay at home area are consistent with the restrictions currently in place for Greater Sydney.
• The new Order does not include Local Government Areas of Concern.
• There is no identified Authorised Workers category, and the mandatory vaccination, testing and permit requirements for Authorised Workers leaving Local Government Areas of Concern, have been removed.
• A worker living in Greater Sydney, including Wollongong and the Blue Mountains, travelling more than 50km outside of Greater Sydney for work, will no longer need to register their travel or be tested on a seven day rolling basis.
• The specific requirements for construction sites located in Greater Sydney, including vaccination requirements, have been removed, other than the requirement to have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
• Unvaccinated adults are not permitted on the following premises:
  • Higher risk premises (hospitality venues, entertainment facilities places of public worship);
  • Hairdressers and beauty salons;
  • Recreation facilities (indoors);
  • Pubic swimming pools;
  • Information and education facilities;
  • Retail premises but not including critical retail premises (service stations and highway service centres are not defined as retail premises, therefore unvaccinated persons are permitted to enter).
• Employers must allow an employee who is fully vaccinated to work at their place of residence if it is reasonably practicable to do so.
• Employers must require an employee who is not fully vaccinated to work at the employee's place of residence unless it is not reasonably practicable to do so.
• QR Codes continue to be a requirement on occupiers of premises.
• Masks must be worn by any person who is over 12 at the following locations:
  • Indoor areas of premises other than a place of residence;
  • Indoor areas of common property for residential premises;
  • Public transport waiting areas or in a vehicle or vessel being used to provide a public transport service;
  • On domestic commercial aircraft;
  • Working at a hospitality venue and dealing with members of the public.
  • In all hospitality venues (must be worn by hospitality workers only).
• Medical exemptions from wearing a mask continue to apply and individuals are required to carry evidence that lists the illness or condition and produce it for inspection by a police officer if requested.
• Masks can be removed and replaced for the usual reasons including safety reasons, eating and drinking and where clear enunciation is required.

Vaccination

• The Order does not require mandatory vaccination for freight workers. This is a matter for individual businesses to determine relevant to the risks in the specific operating environment.
• You can direct your employees to get vaccinated where mandatory vaccination is included in a NSW Public Health Order or it would be lawful and reasonable to do so for work health and safety reasons. The decision to direct employees should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and depend on a range of factors including the nature of the workplace, the role of the employee, and the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace.
• One of the key things to do is to conduct a comprehensive work, health and safety risk assessment. Detailed guidance on how to assess whether it would be reasonable for you to require your employees to be vaccinated is available at the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
• If you wish to encourage or incentivise your employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine, you should review the guidance issued by the Therapeutic Goods Administration about promoting COVID-19 vaccines and incentivising individuals to get vaccinated.

• Proof of vaccination requirements
• What to do if your business becomes an exposure site.

We are continuing to make available our 11 freight friendly asymptomatic COVID-19 testing sites to support freight workers to meet testing requirements of other States and Territories, and to support the continued movement of goods interstate. Please visit our webpage for a map of the testing sites.
We encourage industry to stay across the latest advice, and testing and vaccination requirements for entering other states and territories by visiting the website for the state or territory you will be travelling to. Links to other state and territory webpages can be found on our webpage.

We will continue to keep you informed of changing requirements in line with the Roadmap for easing COVID-19 restrictions.