Hawkesbury District Independent May 2020 #120 | Page 7

LOCAL LIFE
COVID-19 results now
available in 60 minutes
Restrictions relax
a little this month
The NSW Government has announced
an update on COVID-19 restrictions and
how our schools and retail outlets will
look for the month of May.
There will be three key changes that
will take effect across NSW this month:
1.    From Friday, 1 May up to two
adults and their dependent
children will be allowed to visit
another household.
2.    We will see a return of face-to-face
teaching from 11 May, and then will
consider accelerating a full return
to school as soon as possible.
3.    There have never been restrictions
in NSW on what people can and
cannot buy, however there may be
increased retail activity, with some
businesses choosing to re-open. It
is important these shops maintain
social distancing and hygiene
requirements.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said
this update on visits to households has
been made to reduce social isolation and
improve mental health.
“It extends the existing guidelines
of being able to leave home for ‘care or
medical purposes’,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The two adults need not be related.
“The last thing any of us want to see is
a huge spike in cases.
“We need anyone with even the
mildest of symptoms anywhere in NSW to
stay home and come forward for testing.”
There is no limit on how far you can
travel within NSW so long as you respect
the rules and the reason is consistent
with one of the four categories for leaving
home.
It is important when visiting another
household social distancing is maintained
and extra hygiene precautions are taken.
When visiting, meeting in an outdoor
environment such as home garden,
backyard or verandah will help reduce the
risk.
If you are visiting those aged over 70 or
those with underlying health conditions
we are urging you to be extra vigilant with
social distancing and hygiene measures.
It is also important to remember that
you do not visit anyone if you or they are
unwell, even if you have mild symptoms
like fatigue or a scratchy throat.
The two-person gathering limit still
applies to public places.
For the latest information on COVID-19
please go to nsw.gov.au/covid-19.
High risk patients will now receive
their COVID-19 test results within the
hour, down from 24 - 48 hours, as the
NSW Government deploys new rapid
testing kits statewide.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said
the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
kits have been in use in priority regional
areas where clusters of concern were
identified and will now be rolled out to
29 additional labs.
“The faster we can isolate higher
risk patients and quarantine their
contacts, the less likely they can
unknowingly spread it to others,” Mr
Hazzard said.
“On average, test results are being
processed in less than 48 hours from
the far corners of this vast state which
is an achievement in itself, given the
issues with flights and logistics.
“Now we will have even more vital
hours up our sleeve, which will allow us
to speed up our contract tracing
efforts to map and isolate known
contacts of cases.”
NSW has among the highest
testing rates in Australia and
the world. Mass testing is
critical to identifying cases and
implementing measures to slow
COVID-19.
The new, rapid PCR testing
kits are presently in use in NSW
Health Pathology laboratories
in Broken Hill, Wagga Wagga,
Orange, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth
and 29 more labs across the State will
commence rapid testing from next
week.
NSW Health Pathology has
thoroughly tested and evaluated the
TGA-approved COVID-19 testing kit
from the US and has secured a regular
supply to meet demand.
Mr Hazzard said the technology
used for the rapid COVID-19 testing
kit is already in use for the testing of
influenza and other respiratory viruses
by NSW Health Pathology.
“These kits are in high demand
globally but NSW Health Pathology
is working with clinicians to ensure
our most high risk patients reap the
benefits,” Mr Hazzard said.
NSW Health Pathology can perform
more than 8,000 tests per day within its
specialist laboratories, which continues
to exceed current demand.
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ISSUE 120 // MAY 2020 5