Mid-North Coast: NSW Covid restrictions see shelves striped bare again

It’s been 428 days since the last COVID-19 case on the Mid-North Coast but the escalating outbreak across Sydney has regional shoppers heading for the supermarket shelves once more. See the images.

Supermarket shelves are being ravaged across the Mid-North Coast once more as shoppers ramp up their essential buying needs in the wake of the latest COVID outbreak.

Despite not having a case of COVID-19 in the region for 428 days, panic buyers are letting the latest outbreak get the better of them as their own self interests take hold once again.

Posts to social media pages over the weekend show frustrated Facebook users venting at the sight of the barely-packed toilet paper stands. Other essential goods aisles across across Lake Innes, Port Macquarie and Forster are also being stripped bare.

Coles and Woolworths have both been in shoppers sights.

Empty shelves at Lake Innes Coles near Port Macquarie. Picture: Facebook

Panic: Empty shelves at Woolworths Forster. Picture: Facebook

You wouldn't know it, but The Mid-North Coast has remained COVID-free for more than a year. Tight restrictions are now in place for Sydney, including a two-week lockdown.

The Bondi cluster grew on Monday to 194 people.

Extra precautions were put in place on Monday throughout the Mid-North Coast region region, including a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic now established at Port Macquarie.

The site at Port Macquarie’s Regional Stadium, on Boundary St, will be open weekdays between 7.30am and 6pm, and on weekends from 9am-2pm.

Parents with children under five should visit their GP, or go to the Port Macquarie Emergency Department for testing.

For a full list of sites and the current NSW Health advice, visit https://mnclhd.health.nsw.gov.au/.../covid-19.../

Depleted stock in an aisle at Forster Coles. Pic Facebook

EARLIER

Sydney COVID outbreak puts venues on high alert

Thursday, June 24

Now standing at 36 cases, the Sydney scenario is being treated with serious caution by Port Macquarie venue operators Flower Hotels and the Taphouse Group who operate a number of licensed premises across the region.

NSW recorded 18 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. There are now 36 cases linked to the Bondi cluster. One of the overnight cases includes NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall who was advised this morning of his positive test.

People line up for Covid-19 testing at the Bondi Beach test site. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams is now self-isolating after all MPs who attended NSW Parliament in Sydney this week were directed to have an immediate test and wait in self-isolation.

There has not been a case on the Mid-North Coast for 424 days.

Flower Hotels Director Alistair Flower said the recent outbreak now means his premises, which include The Beechwood Hotel, Settlers Inn, Lake Cathie Tavern, Little Shack and Hastings Hotel, will be off limits to Sydney’s seven local government hot spot zones.

“Following the recent outbreak in Sydney, our management team has made the difficult decision to deny entry to guests from the City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside, and Woollahra local government areas,” Mr Flower said.

“All guests will be asked to provide proof of address on entry and a suburb listing will be posted at our entrance.”

Port Macquarie publican Alistair Flower. Pic Nathan Edwards

The NSW Health advice is that those who live in these areas can now not travel anyway, unless they have a reasonable excuse.

Temporary restrictions are in place in place across the Greater Sydney region, which includes the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour areas, until the beginning of 1 July. These restrictions affect residents, event organisers, businesses, venues, organisations and community groups.

Taphouse venue manager Chris Walker said he is urging people who have been in the Greater Sydney area to ‘use their common sense.’

“We’re asking anyone who has been to or are from this area not to enter the venue,” he said.

Taphouse own the Tacking Point Tavern and Port Macquarie Hotel.

“They are not being forced with an iron fist or anything like that. We’re still acting within the Government guidelines around the limitations until we see further advice that comes through, and we are practising all of our Covid safety plans.

Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams is self isolating after visiting NSW parliament. AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Booked accommodation will be refunded for people who need to cancel.

“We’re just saying please stay away … we’ve had multiple cancellations of accommodation and we’re offering free refunds.”

Mr Flower said people need to be honest about we’re they’ve been, and who they might have come in to contact with.

He said all local business need to be a ‘unified’ and take a ‘collaborative approach.’

“If it [Covid] gets through somewhere, it locks town your whole town anyway,” he said.

“The biggest problem is, it’s the start of the school holidays and everybody, multiple multiple people who had proposed travel from those areas who would now be cancelling.

“The point is we are being proactive, to make sure that safety in the community is paramount. We’ve introduced things that weren't necessarily part of regulations such as bringing back marshals and one entry point.

“There is an element of an honesty system associated with this, we’re basically saying don’t be that person that destroys it for everybody by not being honest.”