Victoria to enter five-day snap lockdown

Thursday 15 July 2021

The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has just announced that Victoria will enter a five-day snap lockdown from 11:59pm Thursday 15 July until 11:59pm Tuesday 20 July. 

Five reasons you can leave your house:

• Shopping for necessary goods and services, one person per household
• Authorised work or permitted education
• Exercise, two hour limit with one other person
• Care giving, compassionate and medical reasons
• To receive your COVID-19 vaccination

Shopping and exercise is to remain within 5km of your home, unless your nearest shops are more than 5km away. As advised, masks are mandatory.

Please ensure your COVID-Safe Plan and QR Code is in place and follow the DHHS guidance.

For more information as and when it’s published, visit VIC Government COVID-19 updates >

Poster
Download COVID-Safe mask poster 

AMIC will continue to keep all members updated on any changes and restrictions.

COVID-19 update for Victoria

Thursday 15 July 2021

Today, the Victorian COVID-19 commander, Jeroen Weimar, announced that from 11:59pm Wednesday 14 July, masks will be mandatory for all indoor settings in Victoria.

The following applies for Victoria:

• Face masks must be carried at all times and must be worn indoors, by anyone aged 12 years and over.
• Face masks must be worn outdoors where physical distancing of at least 1.5 metres cannot be maintained from others (except household members or intimate partners), for example, at a busy open-air market or a bus stop.
• You do not need to wear a mask in your own home, or if a lawful exception applies.
• There are no restrictions on the reasons to leave home or the distance you can travel, but staying COVIDSafe remains important.

Please ensure your COVID-Safe Plan and QR Code is in place and follow the VIC Health guidance.

For more information, visit VIC Government COVID-19 updates >

Poster
Download COVID-Safe mask poster 

AMIC will continue to keep all members updated on any changes and restrictions.

COVID-19 update for South East Queensland

Thursday 15 July 2021

Today, the QLD Premier announced that from 6.00am Friday 16 July, restrictions for South East Queensland will continue for a further 7 days. 

Face masks remain mandatory and gathering restrictions, including visitor restrictions for vulnerable person facilities, will continue to apply across those impacted areas.

The 11 impacted LGAs are Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim.

Restrictions will ease for Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island – restrictions will be the same as for the rest of Queensland.

QLD Check in app 

For full information, visit QLD Government COVID-19 updates >

Posters

Download COVID-Safe poster 
Download COVID-Safe mask poster 

AMIC will continue to keep all members updated on any changes and restrictions.

COVID-19 update for NSW: Lockdown extended

Wednesday 14 July 2021

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced today that Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour will remain in lockdown until at least 11:59pm on Friday 30 July.

The main areas of concern are Fairfield, Roselands, Rosebury, Canterbury, Belmore, the Sutherland Shire, the St George area, Windsor, St Ives, Penrith and Bayside.

Read statement here >

New testing rules
New COVID-19 testing rules are in place under Public Health Orders for Greater Sydney workers. From 12:01am on Wednesday 14 July 2021, you may need to get a COVID-19 test if you are leaving your home to go to work.

If you live or are staying in the Fairfield local government area but are travelling outside this areas for work, you must get a COVID-19 test once every 3 days (72 hours) in order to be allowed to enter a workplace.

You have until the end of Friday 16 July 2021 to get tested so you can work outside the Fairfield LGA.

If you live in or are staying in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour, you must have a COVID-19 test in the 7 days before working if your workplace is 50km or more outside Greater Sydney. 

You have until the end of Sunday 18 July 2021 to get tested so you can work 50km or more outside the area.

You must get a test once every 7 days if your workplace is 50km or more outside Greater Sydney.

Workers are not required to wait for a negative test result but must carry proof of the test, for example a SMS or email.

Find your nearest coronavirus testing centre in NSW >

NSW COVID-19 support package >

For more information as and when it is published, visit NSW Government COVID-19 updates >

Please contact AMIC if you have any questions, we are here to help.

Mandatory NSW Government QR code expansion

Saturday 10 July 2021

A reminder that from Monday 12 July, it will be mandatory for more businesses and organisations to use the NSW Government QR code to check in everyone who visits their premises.

This includes:

• Retail businesses, supermarkets and individual shops within shopping centres
• Shopping centres (QR codes to be displayed at entry points where practicable)
• Gyms
• Offices including call centres
• Manufacturing and warehousing
• School, university or other educational institutions (excluding students entering the school)
• Taxis and hire vehicles, including rideshare

Please see the complete list of workplaces and businesses required to use the NSW Government QR code.

Click here to register your business for the NSW Government QR code >

The NSW Government has provided a toolkit which contains adaptable website/newsletter copy, posters and social media posts to help you communicate about this change.

Please contact AMIC if you have any questions, we are here to help.

NSW Government QR Code TOOLKIT >

COVID-19 update for NSW: restrictions tightened

Friday 9 July 2021

From 5pm today (Friday, 9 July) the following additional restrictions will be in place:

• Outdoor public gatherings limited to two people (excluding members of the same household);
• People must stay in their Local Government Area or within 10kms of home for exercise and outdoor recreation, with no carpooling between non-household members;
• Browsing in shops is prohibited, plus only one person per household, per day may leave the home for shopping;
• Funerals limited to ten people in total (this will take effect from Sunday, 11 July).

The four reasons to leave your home remain in place:

• Shopping for food or other essential goods and services (one person only);
• Medical care or compassionate needs (only one visitor can enter another residence to fulfil carers’ responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons);
• Exercise with no more than 2 (unless members of the same household)
• Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

Restrictions in regional NSW will remain unchanged.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/covid-19-restrictions-tightened-across-greater-sydney

COVID-19 update for QLD: Check In QLD app 

Thursday 8 July 2021

As previously advised, from Friday 9 July the Check In QLD app will be mandatory for a number of new sectors, including shopping centres, supermarkets and retail, including butcher stores.

Retail butchers are listed in Schedule 1C as requiring to collect contact information only and are not subject to other requirements such as COVID safe check lists or density quotient.

Excerpt from QLD Government:

Schedule 1C – Businesses, activities or undertakings required to collect contact information only
Any part of a place of business to which the public is ordinarily given access for the purpose of accessing retail goods and services, except to the extent the goods and services are supplied in a drive through or supplied at a person’s place of residence.

Examples:
Retail shopping centres, department stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, grocers, bakeries, butcher’s shops, fishmongers, convenience stores.

Please follow the below simple steps:

• Register your business for the Check In QLD app
• Print off the QR code poster provided to you
• Place your poster at the entry.

Compliance checks may be occurring and we wish to ensure our members are following the latest government regulations to avoid penalties.

Please continue to follow QLD Health advice.

AMIC will continue to keep all members updated on any changes and restrictions.

COVID-19 update for NSW: Lockdown extended 

Wednesday 7 July 2021

COVID-19 lockdown extended for Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced today that Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour will remain in lockdown until 11:59pm on Friday 16 July.

Read announcement here >

If you live or work in these areas, you need to continue to stay at home and will only be able to leave home for:

• Shopping for food or other essential goods and services;
• Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine);
• Exercise outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer;
• Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.

Masks will be compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings, including workplaces, and at organised outdoor events.

Face-to-face learning will resume in regional NSW when school returns on Tuesday, 13 July.

Learning will be online for schools and students in Greater Sydney from Tuesday, 13 July for four days. While the premier has announced that online learning is preferred, schools will remain open for students who need them.

In coming days the NSW Government will detail a plan for exiting from restrictions. 

Please ensure your COVID-Safe Plan and QR Code/record-keeping is in place and follow the NSW Health guidance. 

For more information as and when it is published, visit NSW Government COVID-19 updates >

Posters
Download COVID-Safe poster
Download COVID-Safe mask poster

AMIC will continue to keep all members updated on any changes and restrictions.

COVID-19 update for TAS 

Monday 5 July 2021

The Tasmanian Government has announced further information about upcoming changes to Check in TAS App requirements.

Under the changes, from 7 July 2021 the requirement for a person to be at a location for at least 15 minutes before being required to use Check in TAS will be removed. Each time a person enters a relevant location they must use Check in TAS regardless of how long they stay.

From 31 July 2021 the relevant locations requiring the use of Check in TAS will be expanded.  The new premises include:

• Food courts
• Mobile food vans and stalls, except where the van or stall is located within a retail location or a market
• Retail premises including shops, pharmacies, supermarkets and other similar premises. This includes retail butcher shops.
• Shopping centres
• Markets, fairs and other similar premises
• Libraries
• Schools that provide kindergarten, primary education or secondary education, with the exception of home education.

All locations will need to have their QR codes in place by 31 July. 

Workers who enter their workplace, if their workplace requires the use of Check in TAS, will only need to check in once a day.

For a full list of premises and more information, visit the TAS government website >

AMIC will continue to keep all members updated on any changes and restrictions.

COVID-19 update: QR codes mandatory in NSW

Thursday 1 July 2021

The NSW Minister for Digital, Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, has announced in a media release that QR codes will be mandatory in all retail businesses and workplaces from Monday 12 July.

From 12 July, these businesses will need to display the Service NSW QR code and take reasonable steps to ensure people entering their premises check-in using the Service NSW QR codes or digital sign-in sheet:

• Retail businesses and supermarkets, including retail butchers
• Individual shops within shopping centres 
• Shopping centres will also be asked to display QR codes at entry points where practicable
• Gyms
• Offices, including call centres
• Manufacturing and warehousing
• Universities and TAFE
• Schools including teachers and visitors (such as parents and contractors) but excluding students.

Businesses that fail to comply with the new health order requirements may be subject to fines and in case of flagrant breaches, temporary closure orders.

Click here to register your business for the NSW Government QR code >

Posters

Support for NSW Small Business

Tuesday 29 June 2021

The NSW Government has announced a financial support package and changes to the Dine & Discover program to assist NSW small businesses impacted by the current COVID-19 restrictions.

The package includes grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 for small businesses, payroll tax deferrals for all employers, an extension of the Dine & Discover program to 31 August.

To be eligible for the grants, businesses will need to show a decline in turnover across a minimum two-week period after the commencement of major restrictions on 26 June.

 For full details visit:  www.smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au/news/support-nsw-small-business

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Issued Monday 12 April 2021

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) have released a statement regarding their concerns in relation to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

ATAGI is the body that provides technical advice to the Federal Minister for Health on the medical administration of vaccines available in Australia.

Their health advice to the Minister and to the Australian public regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine has changed.

Due to further evidence regarding rare but serious side effects, ATAGI are now recommending their preference be given to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine over AstraZeneca’s for a large portion of the country’s population, particularly people under the age of 50.

The Federal Government have accepted this and has stated that as a consequence this will delay the plan to vaccinate Australians against the virus.

State and Territory Departments of Health have stated that they are currently reviewing their COVID-19 vaccine rollout programs.

Summary

• ATAGI notes further evidence of a rare but serious side effect involving thrombosis (clotting) with thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count) following receipt of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca
• ATAGI recommends that the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer (Comirnaty) is preferred over COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in adults aged under 50 years. This recommendation is based on the increasing risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 in older adults (and hence a higher benefit from vaccination) and a potentially increased risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia following AstraZeneca vaccine in those under 50 years. 
• COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca can be used in adults aged under 50 years where the benefits are likely to outweigh the risks for that individual and the person has made an informed decision based on an understanding of the risks and benefits. 
• People who have had the first dose of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca without any serious adverse effects can be given the second dose, including adults under 50 years. 

The full details of the ATAGI statement are contained in the following link:

https://www.health.gov.au/news/atagi-statement-on-astrazeneca-vaccine-in-response-to-new-vaccine-safety-concerns

Keep monitoring the Department of Health website as the science develops for the latest medical advice.

COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance Information
Issued Tuesday 22 February 2021

AMIC has confirmed with the Federal and State Governments, that meat processing workers are included in Phase 1b of the COVID-19 vaccine priority rollout. This inclusion is noted within their national rollout strategy as: Critical and high risk workers including defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing.

Independent retail butcher workers are contained in Phase 2a and categorised as ‘Other critical and high risk workers’.

The rollout of the vaccine commenced this week for Phase 1a, and it is expected that Phase 1b recipients will commence late March 2021 at the earliest, with Phase 2a following thereafter subject to vaccine availability. 

This provides sufficient time for the meat industry to prepare for the vaccination process, but also to be clear about what are the roles and responsibilities of the Government, employers, workers and others.

The below link provides a detailed outline of guidance information, which also includes answers to the most frequently asked questions, which has been provided by the relevant government departments.

COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance Information >

Social Distancing

One way to slow the spread of the virus is social distancing.

We have compiled the guidelines from the Australian Government Department of Health website on social distancing, and created a poster for you to download and put up in your business. Together we can help to stop the spread of the virus.

The material on this webpage has been compiled from both State and Federal government sources. It does not constitute legal advice or recommendations and should not be relied upon as such. Appropriate legal advice should be sought that reflects your individual circumstances.