Further to our COVID National Update this morning, the following specific advice is offered for NSW members.
NSW Community restrictions
As a further reminder, New South Wales is now defined into three separate geographical areas for the purpose of current community compliance regulations. The distinctions are grounded in the source of the Avalon cluster, and Government concerns about further spread through Greater Sydney. We can expect there to be further announcements in response to developing events.
Restrictions for Northern Beaches (northern area): Click Here
Restrictions for Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong: Click Here
Restrictions for regional and rural NSW: Click Here
ATMS recommends that all members review the NSW COVID website daily during the current period. Announcements can come at very short notice and can have far reaching consequences. The website is available here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
Face masks in New South Wales
Mandatory face masks are required in certain venues in Greater Sydney effective 3 January 2021. Full details are at these NSW links: Click Here
In short there are two key questions for members in Greater Sydney, and in short there are two simple recommendations:
Should I wear a mask: ATMS recommends that all practitioners wear a mask in Greater Sydney.
Should my client wear a mask: ATMS recommends that all clients wear a mask in Greater Sydney.
QR Codes
Over the Christmas – New Year period the NSW Government has shifted significantly on this issue. There is an emerging bias for wide-spread compulsory use of the NSW Government QR code, and it is increasingly being mandated in specified premises in NSW, with additional premises added effective 1 January 2021.
The public policy justification for the compulsion is speed of access to information for NSW Health to conduct contact tracing. This is NSW’s first line response to limiting community transmission of COVID and the current success of that contact tracing is the justification against wide-spread hard lock downs in NSW.
There is currently some confusion about whether ATMS members are compelled to have QR Codes, and there are some fine point legal distinctions. For example, a “massage parlour” (note: whatever that may be is not defined!) is compelled to have QR codes whilst generally health services are currently exempt.
Regardless of the fine point distinctions, widespread use of the NSW Government QR Code is being actively encouraged and increasingly mandated. It is an easy prediction that further mandated usage is being considered by the NSW Government and is likely.
ATMS would therefore recommend that ATMS members in NSW add the use of QR Codes to your existing COVID Safe plan. The QR Code is now readily available and is free of charge for a business premises to get a unique QR Code. It is the client who then logs into your premises using an app on the client’s phone. As mandated specified premises are now widespread in NSW, compliance with the QR Code by client is likely to be high.
Full details of the NSW QR Code are available at this link: Click Here
ATMS will continue to monitor further announcements in NSW and will issue further advice as required.
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