‘Picnic rule’ to boost Covid-19 vax uptake in NSW lockdown regions

Health officials have dangled the proverbial carrot in front of unvaccinated regional residents in a bid to ramp up lagging jab rates.

Anti-vax graffiti in Byron Bay in northern NSW.

As the coastal shires of Byron, Tweed and Kempsey plunged back into lockdown on Tuesday afternoon – after less than two weeks of freedom – health officials have dangled a carrot in front of unvaccinated residents in a bid to ramp up lagging jab rates in the area.

With some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, the NSW government will also apply its so-called “picnic rule” to the three shires on the North Coast – permitting up to five fully vaccinated residents to gather outdoors – to encourage vaccine uptake.

The lockdown was triggered by a single case, a person who tested positive after flying from Sydney to Ballina.

Despite only 31 per cent of Byron residents being double-jabbed, shire mayor Michael Lyon said stereotypes of Byron Bay were cheap and largely unfounded given the scarcity of vaccine supply.

“People understand freedom is linked to vaccination, so give us the vaccine supply and it will improve,” said Mr Lyon, noting that a wider debate was required to address the treatment of unvaccinated and vaccinated residents.

“We’ve been begging the government for more vaccines and tighter restrictions to make sure these scenarios – where one infectious person travels into the region and causes a lockdown – don’t happen.”

Ben Kirkwood, who owns the popular cafe Beach Byron Bay, said the snap lockdown was “a big punch in the guts” for local business, adding that he hopes the outdoor gathering incentive will encourage people to get vaccinated.

In Kempsey, on the state’s Mid North Coast, local residents have been forced into lockdown after two travellers from the Greater Sydney area tested positive for Covid-19.

“We had a month in lockdown, a week out and now we’re back in again,” said Kempsey Shire mayor Liz Campbell, adding that it was “particularly crushing given the cases weren’t even from the region”.

“We know vaccine rates in parts of Kempsey are low, especially among the 20 to 40 years olds, where there is some hesitancy … If the lockdown can help shift that, that’ll be one positive to come from it.”

 

Meanwhile, Tamworth residents narrowly escaped their own lockdown on Tuesday, after NSW Health said Monday’s infection would not trigger a lockdown of the area.

“In some areas there may be a case, but if they’re isolated and haven’t been out (as in Tamworth) … then a return to stay-at-home restrictions is not necessary,” said deputy chief health officer Marianne Gale.

Cowra residents, however, were not so lucky after a schoolboy tested positive for the virus on Monday, marking the town’s first ever case of Covid-19.

With the source of the infection still unknown, anyone who visited the town from September 13 must follow stay-at-home rules.

Since September 10, when deputy premier John Barilaro announced regional areas would face fresh lockdowns if a single case was detected, the councils of Yass, Albury, Lismore, Glen Innes and Hilltops have also returned to stay-at-home restrictions.

Across the state, NSW recorded 1022 new infections and 10 more deaths, taking the death toll to 255 since the current outbreak on June 16. Despite plateauing case numbers, Dr Gale said the majority of infections continued to be generated in Sydney’s southwest and western suburbs, including Greenacre, Guildford, Bankstown, Revesby, Merrylands, Fairfield, Liverpool, Condell Park, Auburn and Blacktown.

Health officials also noted the detection of viral fragments in sewage catchments across Ballina and Wardell.