airport. Photo supplied.
With Ballina and Byron in the midst of the Christmas/New Year influx of domestic tourists in the wake of international travel restrictions, Healthy North Coast, the organisation that delivers the Federal Government’s PHN program on the North Coast, is distributing supplies of reusable cloth face masks for community members and visitors to our region’s popular holiday destinations.
The Christmas holidays are a high-risk period for the spread of COVID-19 due to increased travel and social gatherings. The risk is further heightened by the recent outbreak in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
To help protect our community and our visitors, Healthy North Coast has delivered reusable cloth masks to tourist hubs, including the Ballina Byron Gateway Airport and the Byron Visitor Information Centre, 80 Jonson Street, Byron Bay. Mask display stands have been kindly donated by local business, Terry White Chemmart Ballina.
Masks are free of charge and may be collected by visitors as they arrive in the region.
NSW Health strongly encourages everyone to wear a mask in situations where it is difficult to maintain physical distancing, particularly in indoor settings such as planes, public transport and supermarkets.
Healthy North Coast CEO Julie Sturgess says, “As we welcome visitors to our region this holiday period, it’s essential that we remain vigilant to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection.
“Masks are a great added line of defence, in addition to self-isolating (where indicated) and getting tested if you have respiratory symptoms, no matter how mild. Maintaining 1.5-metre physical distancing and good hand hygiene are also important tools in preventing the spread.”
Anyone who has been in a hotspot in the last 14 days should check the NSW Health website regularly for up-to-date advice on self-isolation, monitoring and testing requirements.
Free assessment and COVID-19 testing are available across the North Coast. A full list of testing clinics is available here.
Recent stories, information and updates regarding COVID-19
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Life shows life expectancy in Australia has decreased slightly for the second year in a row. An international team of researchers has found more evidence that COVID-19 came from animals in a Wuhan food market. The lab-leak theory that Covid-19 came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology – instead of a nearby wet market – was thrashed about in public recently, with the US Senate Homeland Security Committee holding a hearing into Covid-19. Eighteen schools in the Northern Rivers division of Richmond have received $25,000 each as part of the federal government’s School Upgrade Fund, Labor Member for Richmond Justine Elliot said last week. COVID-19 reversed earlier trends toward longer life expectancies. During the pandemic, life expectancies globally dropped by 1.6 years according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal. Let’s not forget that Covid-19 is still a big issue in our community with 31,935 cases reported across Australia in the last week – an average of 4,562 cases per day. The Global Carbon Budget is about to be refreshed, giving the world a critical insight into how efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are (or are not) progressing. Masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport from tomorrow, Wednesday 21 September. SW Police are urging festival-goers at this weekend’s music festival to celebrate in a safe and responsible manner, whilst also being aware of COVID-Safety measures. The Northern NSW Local Health District reports that to 4pm yesterday, Sunday May 22, there were 40 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with one of these in ICU.
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