Three new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Port Stephens, coming as the Hunter recorded nine in total up to 8pm on Saturday.
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Three cases were also recorded in Newcastle, two in Maitland and on in Lake Macquarie to take the Hunter New England Health District's total cases since August 5 to 104.
HNEH said eight cases are linked to previously reported cases, one is still under investigation, two cases were infectious while they were in the community and two are associations with an aged care cluster.
It comes as NSW recorded 415 cases of COVID in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the figure in her Sunday morning press conference, which is a drop on the previous day's figure of 466 when the whole state was sent into a seven-day lockdown from 5pm.
Four people died in the latest reporting period, two women and two men, aged from their 50s to 80s.
There have been 127,000 COVID tests done in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday.
In the four weeks up to 8pm on Saturday, August 14 Port Stephens has recorded a total of nine COVID-19 cases, two of which have had an unknown source.
In that time, there has been 10,736 COVID-19 tests conducted within the Port LGA.
NSW lockdown: Rules and restrictions that apply to Port Stephens
Port Stephens is to follow the stay at home rules apply to regional and rural locations in NSW. There are different rules for Sydney.
The state-wide stay at home order, or lockdown, applies from 5pm on Saturday, August 14 to 12.01am on Sunday, August 22. It overrides all other previously announced lockdowns.
You must stay home. Only leave your home if you have a reasonable excuse. If you must leave home, stay within your local area. Do not travel outside your local area if you can avoid it. Limit your physical contact with people you do not live with. You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave your home.
Reasonable excuse to leave home
A reasonable excuse is if you need to:
- obtain food or other goods and services locally
- leave home to go to work if: you cannot reasonably work from home and the business is allowed to be 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 10km from your home (5km from Monday, 16 August 2021)
- go out for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination.
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
- 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
- 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.
Rules for when you leave your home
Shopping
- Stay within your local government area or within 10km of your home (unless the food or goods and services are not reasonably available locally). From Monday, 16 August 2021, stay within your local government area or within 5km of your home.
- 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.
Exercise and outdoor recreation
- Stay within your local government area or within 10km of your home (5km from Monday, 16 August 2021).
- 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"). A nominated visitor in a regional or rural area must reside in your LGA.
- 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. A nominated visitor in a regional or rural area must reside in your LGA.
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.
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
- when working in an outdoor area.
Face masks must be worn at indoor or outdoor areas of a fresh food market.
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 Saturday, August 21:
- Any person who wishes to travel to regional NSW for one of the following reasons must have a permit which will be made available on Service NSW:
- authorised workers from LGAs of concern
- inspecting real estate. Any person inspecting real estate in the regions must now genuinely need a home to live in (no investment properties); and
- travelling to your second home. This is now only allowed if you are using the home for work accommodation or if the home requires urgent maintenance and repairs (if so, only one person may travel there).
- authorised workers from LGAs of concern
- inspecting real estate. Any person inspecting real estate in the regions must now genuinely need a home to live in (no investment properties); and
- travelling to your second home. This is now only allowed if you are using the home for work accommodation or if the home requires urgent maintenance and repairs (if so, only one person may travel there).
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.
Nominated visitor ("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.
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.
Temporary or holiday accommodation
If you are staying in temporary accommodation in a local government area where the stay at home rules apply - including in short-term or holiday accommodation - you may stay at your accommodation until your booking expires. When your booking expires, you may leave your accommodation to return to:
- your place of residence or
- other accommodation.
While you are staying in your temporary or holiday accommodation, you must continue to comply with the stay at home rules.
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.
Outdoor gatherings
Gatherings limited to 2 people. If you are in a local government area where the stay at home rules apply, you must not participate in an outdoor public gathering of more than 2 people, unless you are:
- working at a premises that is permitted to be open if you cannot work from home
- attending a university or other tertiary education facility if you cannot study from home
- providing care or assistance to vulnerable persons
- gathering with other people in your household
- providing emergency assistance to a person
- fulfilling a legal obligation
- moving home or moving your business to a new premises
- gathering for a funeral or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services.
Children and parenting
Under the stay at home rules, it is a reasonable excuse to leave your home to drop off or pick up children from early childhood education and care services, regardless of where your childcare service is located.
Places that are closed
Most retail premises in the local government areas where the stay at home rules apply must close to the public.
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
- 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
- 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.
'Click and collect' and home delivery
Businesses may continue to operate if they provide goods and services to customers that are:
- ordered by phone or internet
- delivered to customers
- collected by customers.
A 'click and collect' service can also be used by customers to return or exchange goods by prior arrangement either by phone or internet. Businesses may continue to operate if they provide goods and services to customers and follow the requirements for
- wearing of face masks
- check-in requirements (for example, using QR codes)
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Exemptions
Your premises may stay open if it is:
- used to provide a service to vulnerable people (such as a food bank or homeless shelter)
- an early education and care facility
- used for a funeral or memorial service that complies with the rules for funerals and memorial services.
If your premises is permitted to stay open under the public health order, you must follow the rules in place including:
- the square metres rules
- face masks rules
- mandatory check-in (for example, using QR codes)
- 'click and collect' and home delivery.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
