MORE than 60,000 people across three Central West local government areas are waking to strict stay-at-home orders this morning as NSW Health races to contain a possible outbreak of the deadly Delta strain of COVID-19.
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An emergency meeting of health and political leaders late yesterday decided to impose a seven-day lockdown for the Orange, Blayney and Cabonne LGAs after a worker at a Blayney factory became infected with the virus by a visiting truck driver.
The worker then visited a number of locations in Orange while potentially infectious and those sites have now been identified as exposure sites for the virus.
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Residents living in the Bathurst LGA who have visited Orange, Blayney or Cabonne on or after Saturday, July 17 must also adhere to the stay-at-home orders which allow residents to leave their home only if they have a "reasonable excuse", as outlined in the health orders.
These include leaving the home to go shopping for essential goods and services; to go to work if they cannot work at home; for education, if it cannot be done at home; to exercise within 10km of their home; or for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination.
Residents within the three locked down LGAs must carry a face mask with them at all times.
The current orders are in place until 12.01am on Wednesday, July 28.
Lockdown checklist
NSW Health has provided the following information relating to the seven-day lockdown across Orange, Blayney and Cabonne LGAs:
Reasonable excuse to leave home
A reasonable excuse is if you need to:
- obtain food or other goods and services
- for the personal needs of the household or for other household purposes (including pets)
- for vulnerable people
- for the personal needs of the household or for other household purposes (including pets)
- for vulnerable people
- for the personal needs of the household or for other household purposes (including pets)
- for vulnerable people
- leave home to
- go to work if you cannot reasonably work from home
- attend education if it is not possible to do it at home
- go to work if you cannot reasonably work from home
- attend education if it is not possible to do it at home
- go to work if you cannot reasonably work from home
- attend 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 place of residence
- go out for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination.
See the list of other reasonable excuses.
Rules for leaving home
Working
If you live in the Blayney, Cabonne or Orange local government areas, employers must allow an employee to work from home if it is reasonably practicable to do so.
If you cannot work from home and you go to your workplace, you must wear a face mask (unless an exemption applies).
Travelling by car
If you need to share a car to get to work or to travel to exercise or outdoor recreation, wear a face mask when you are in the car or vehicle with someone that you do not live with.
Exercise and outdoor recreation
- Stay within your local government area or within 10km of your home.
- You can exercise with 1 other person who is not from your household.
- If there are more than 2 people in your household, you can go out together for exercise.
- Indoor recreation facilities such as gyms and indoor courts must be closed.
- Community sport (training and matches) cannot go ahead.
Proof of address
In the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas, you must carry proof of your address if you:
- have left your home for a reasonable excuse
- are exercising outdoors or have left your home for recreation, or
- have a reasonable excuse and are leaving the Blayney, Cabonne or Orange local government areas.
You must show your proof of address if asked by the NSW Police.
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
- 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.
Taking a holiday is not a reasonable excuse.
Face masks
In the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas, 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
- indoor areas or common property of residential premises
- if you are working outdoors
- at certain outdoor gatherings
- if you are on public transport
- in a major recreation facility such as a stadium
- at indoor or outdoor areas of a market that predominantly sells food.
Learn more about face mask rules.
Common indoor areas in residential buildings
You must wear a fitted face mask when you are in an indoor area of common property in a residential building that is:
- strata titled
- community titled or
- company titled.
You do not need to wear a mask inside your own apartment.
Common areas where you must wear a mask include:
- a shared foyer or lobby of an apartment block
- lifts, stairwells and corridors
- shared laundry facilities.
Masks must be worn by anyone entering including:
- residents and visitors
- building managers, concierge staff and cleaners
- people providing goods and services including tradespeople and contractors
- people delivering food, mail and parcels.
Learn more about face mask rules.
Visiting the Central West
You must not enter the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas without a reasonable excuse.
Visitors to a residence
Generally, visiting another person in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas is not a reasonable excuse to leave your home.
You must not allow a person to visit your home, except if it is:
- for 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.
Working from home
In the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas, employers must allow an employee to work from home if the employee is reasonably able to do so.
If you cannot work from home and you go to your workplace, follow the rules for wearing a face mask.
Children and parenting
Under the stay at home rules, accessing childcare is considered a reasonable excuse to leave your home.
Find out more about the COVID-19 safety measures.
Related information:
- Common questions about children and parenting.
Places of worship
A place of worship must not be open to members of the public.
Services may be livestreamed from a church, meeting house, mosque, synagogue, temple or other place of worship that is not open to members of the public.
You can attend the premises if you are directly involved in the service or the operation of the equipment for the livestream event.
Find out about the rules that apply to singing in a place of public worship during a livestreamed event.
Weddings
From 12.01am on Friday, July, 23 you cannot:
- enter the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas to hold or attend a wedding
- leave your place of residence to attend a wedding if you live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas.
Funerals and memorial services
Number of people
Until 12.01am on Friday, July 23 a maximum of 100 people, including the person conducting the service, can attend a funeral or memorial service or gathering afterwards in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas.
From 12.01am on Friday 23 July 2021 a maximum of 10 people can attend a funeral or memorial service or gathering afterwards in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas.
The 10 person maximum also applies to an outdoor funeral, memorial service or gathering afterwards. A funeral cannot occur at a place of residence.
In addition to the 10 people attending the service there may also be:
- a person conducting the service
- other people who are necessary for the preparation and conduct of the service.
Who can attend
Attending a funeral or memorial service is a reasonable excuse to leave home and to enter the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas.
People from the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas can only leave their place of residence to attend a funeral, memorial service or gathering afterwards outside of the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas if they are a spouse (including de facto), parent, child or sibling of the deceased.
Outdoor gatherings
If you are in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas, you must not participate in an outdoor public gathering of more than two people, unless you are:
- working or attending a university or other tertiary education facility
- providing care or assistance to vulnerable people
- 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.
Community sport
You can take part in exercising or outdoor recreational activities that:
- comply with the gathering rules (no more than 2 people outdoors)
- are not held at premises required to be closed.
No community sport (training or matches) is allowed in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas.
See the advice on sport and recreation.
Temporary or holiday accommodation
If you are staying in temporary accommodation in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas - 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 Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas.
- Auctions that people attend in person.
- Open inspections of properties, although inspections may be conducted by private appointment for one person only.
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 Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas, you must follow the stay at home rules.
If you are a real estate agent or a prospective purchaser and you do not live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas, follow the rules for:
Places that are closed
The following places in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas are directed to be closed to the public.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wednesday 21 July 2021 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 Wednesday 21 July 2021 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 Wednesday 21 July 2021 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
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).
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