Upcoming Roadmap and Requirements

14 Dec 2021

Key Member Takeaways

More COVID-19 restrictions to ease from 15 December 2021.
Mask wearing and QR Code check-in will no longer be required in dealership showrooms, workshops, retail premises and most indoor settings.
Rights of occupiers of premises to deny entry based on vaccination status

1.      UPDATE TO THE COVID-19 ROADMAP

1.1  Further to our previous update, Members are to be mindful that many of the current COVID-19 restrictions will ease on 15 December 2021.

1.2   The NSW Government has recently announced the following updates to the upcoming the COVID-19 Roadmap which may be relevant to Members.

The Roadmap from 95% Vaccination or 15th December 2021, whichever is earlier)

Masks, QR codes and vaccination status

If you are over the age of 12, you must still wear a mask for/on public transport, planes and airports, and indoor front-of-house hospitality staff who are not vaccinated.
Masks will be strongly encouraged in settings where you cannot socially distance.
Masks no longer required in outdoor settings (including for front-of-house hospitality staff).
Proof of vaccination no longer required for Member’s businesses including dealerships and retail premises.
COVID-19 Safe check-ins no longer required for Member’s businesses including dealerships, workshops, retail premises, service stations and offices.

Shopping

Non-critical retail reopens to all regardless of vaccination status i.e. this includes dealerships, tyre/parts shops etc.

Work from Home

Employers allow staff to work from home at their discretion.

International travel

New rules are in place for people travelling to NSW from overseas. For more information about the rules around leaving and entering NSW from outside Australia, visit International travel to and from NSW

Schools

Students already returned to face-to-face learning. Follow the rules for schools at the Department of Education.

Travel and transport

Travel between Greater Sydney and regional NSW permitted for all.
Carpooling permitted for all.
NSW Health strongly advises people wear face masks when they cannot socially distance

Events and entertainment

No person limit for major recreation facilities (including stadiums, theme parks and race courses), subject to 100% of fixed seated capacity.
No person limit for entertainment facilities (including cinemas and theatres), subject to 100% of fixed seated capacity.
No person limit for information and education facilities.
No person limit for outdoor public gatherings and recreation (COVID-19 Safety Plans required if over 1000 people attend).

2. OBLIGATIONS TO NOTIFY AND SELF ISOLATE STILL IN FORCE

2.1    Under the current Public Health Order (PHO), only close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case are required to self-isolate. Self-isolation periods and testing requirements differ for close contacts based on their exposure and vaccination status. Under the NSW public health order, a "close contact" means a person identified by an authorised contact tracer as:

(a)     likely to have come into contact with a person with COVID-19, and
(b)     at risk of developing COVID-19.

In other words, an authorised contact tracer from NSW Health or the Department of Education will contact you to confirm if you are a close contact and tell you what to do.

2.2    NSW Health and the public health order have provided the following guidelines for confirmed case and close contacts:

Vaccination status	Confirmed cases (i.e. you have tested positive)	Close contacts (i.e. you are notified as being in contact with a confirmed case)
Fully vaccinated (2 doses completed at least 14 days before you last had contact with a COVID-19 case)	Get tested if you have any symptoms. If you have tested positive for COVID-19, you must immediately: self-isolate for at least 14 days in your home until medically cleared. A medical practitioner or registered nurse will contact you at the end of your isolation period to confirm if you can be released from isolation and provide you with a medical clearance notice. Please see Release and recovery for more advice. tell the following people that you have tested positive for COVID-19: (a) people staying at your house; (b) friends and other people you have met socially where you spent 15 minutes or more in an indoor environment without a mask: from 2 days before you got sick until now, or if you had no symptoms, from 2 days before your test until now. (c) your manager at work (d) the head of the education facility you attend or relevant staff member.	Self-isolate for 7 days from the date you last had contact with the COVID-19 positive person. Get tested immediately and again on day 6. Only leave self-isolation after 7 days if you receive a negative result from the test on day 6 and have no COVID-19 symptoms. For the following 7 days, work from home if you can and do not attend a high-risk setting (healthcare, aged care, disability care, early childhood centres, primary school and correctional facilities) even if it is your place of work.
Not fully vaccinated (0 or 1 dose or 2 doses completed less than 14 days since you last had contact with a COVID-19 case)	Same as above.	Self-isolate for 14 days from the date you last had contact with the COVID-19 positive person Get tested immediately, on day 6 and on day 12 Only leave self-isolation after 14 days if you receive a negative result from the test on day 12 and have no COVID-19 symptoms.
Already had COVID-19 in the past 6 months	Same as above.	You will generally not be considered a close contact and you do not need to self-isolate or get a test unless you have symptoms.

2.3    Self-isolation means you must stay at your home or accommodation and remain separated from others, even if you are fully vaccinated or feel well. Self-isolation means you cannot:

(a)     Go to work or school;
(b)     Go to any public places (e.g. shops, parks, beaches);
(c)     Use public transport or ride share; and
(d)     Have any visitors in your home, unless they are providing healthcare, emergency maintenance or emergency services.

If you need to leave your accommodation for one of these reasons and require transport, but do not have a private vehicle, call the NSW Health Isolation Support Line on 1800 943 553 for assistance. See the Self-Isolation Guideline for further information.

3. OBLIGATION OF A BUSINESS OWNER

3.1    If you run a business, you must notify SafeWork if a worker has contracted COVID-19 at work, or was likely infectious in the workplace. For more information visit Guidance for businesses with a worker who tests positive for COVID-19.

3.2    There is currently no mandatory requirement under the PHO to shut down the premises for a deep clean. However, Members should be mindful of their obligations as business owners to provide a safe work environment to employees. All areas used by any suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 should be cleaned and disinfected. Learn more about routine cleaning and disinfection in the workplace.

3.3    From 15 December 2021, some premises may still choose to require people to be fully vaccinated as a condition of entry to safeguard the well-being of their staff and customers. To assist Members who may still choose to require their customers to be fully vaccinated as a condition of entry, here are some guidelines:

	Customer’s vaccination status	Rights of occupier of premises:
1	Customer refuses to show vaccination status.	The occupier of the business premises can deny the customer entry based on: vaccination status (i.e. work health safety); and/or other reasons (violence).
2	Customer is unvaccinated.	Same as above.
3	Customer is unvaccinated but has a medical contradiction.	The occupier of the business premises should only deny the customer entry for reasons other than the customer’s vaccination status. The reason is that a medical contradiction is issued to people with some form of disability. Both NSW and Commonwealth laws clearly prohibit discrimination based on disability.