New South Wales is a southeastern state of Australia, separated by its coastal towns and national parks. The capital of Australia is host to emblematic buildings, including the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. NSW has rugged Inland, Blue Mountains, the rainforests, and the outlying towns where the famous explorers extract opal. There are large sandy beaches along the coast. The district of Hunter Valley, in the north, has scores of wineries.

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales that is known as Australia's most populated city. In March 2019, the community of New South Wales was over 8 million, rendering it the most populated state in Australia. 5.1 million inhabitants of Sydney live in the Greater Sydney area.

Corona Virus Update in NSW

COVID-19 was first reported in Australia at the end of January 2020. That was the first time that the novel coronavirus entered Australia. It happened when a man flew from Wuhan to Melbourne on flight CZ321 on January 19. The federal government offered guidelines to the Victorian and NSW jurisdictions to track passengers on flights with others that subsequently reported signs and eventually tested positive for the infection.

The health authorities stated that many viruses have similar symptoms; however, we cannot consider someone to be COVID positive until and unless they shoe infectious systems. When dealing with the first case of corona in Australia, the Australian authorities were more cautious as two patients developed symptoms right after 24 hours of arriving.   

The health authorities state that the person is coming from Wuhan because the virus spread in Australia was isolated in Melbourne.

Three more cases were verified in Sydney. All these men arrived on January 6, January 19, and on January 20.

Flights

  • Close contact rows for Virgin flight VA863 departing from Melbourne and landing in Sydney on July 21, 2020, have been released as of July 29, 2020. The close contact rows are 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.
  • Close contact lines were also released for Malaysian Airlines MH141, leaving from Kuala Lumpur on July 24, 2020, and landing in Sydney on July 25, 2020. The near touch lines are 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.
  • From July 28, 2020, close contact rows were released for Emirates flight EK414, leaving from Dubai on July 19 and landing in Sydney on July 20, 2020. The close contact rows are 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. Many close contact rows are yet to be verified.
  • Close contact row was also issued for Qatar Airways flight QR908 departing from Doha on July 19, 2020, and arriving in Sydney on July 20, 2020. The near communication lines are yet to be verified.
  • Close contact rows for Jetstar flight JQ506 departing from Melbourne and arriving in Sydney on July 25, 2020, have been released as of July 27, 2020. The close contact rows are 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.
  • Close contact row was also issued for Garuda Airways flight GA712, leaving Jakarta on July 21, 2020, and landing in Sydney on July 22, 2020. The close contact rows are 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23.

NSW Corona Virus Policies

The Protocol to facilitate the shared control of an outbreak of COVID-19 in a residential care facility (RACF) in NSW, jointly established by NSW Health and the Commonwealth Department of Health, formalizes policy funding for the elderly care service through their control of a pandemic of COVID-19. A control framework for incidents of residential care facilities and an Incident Action Plan for a Public Health Response to a Confirmed Case of COVID-19 in the Aged Care Facility is now open as of July 10, 2020.

Public Health (COVID-19 Border Control) Order 2020 limits who can reach NSW from Victoria. The Order started on July 8, 2020, with updates on July 20, 2020, July 22, 2020, July 24, 2020, and July 25, 2020. Persons reaching NSW would usually have to receive an entrance permit and abide by the terms of the permit or the particular requirements of the Order (e.g., self-isolation for 14 days). Specific requirements remain in effect for individuals residing in frontier regions and those moving to NSW after reaching Australia with other care or health facilities.

Unless, for humanitarian purposes, you do not fulfill all of the requirements listed in the Order and need travel to NSW, you can apply for an exception with NSW Health. 

As of July 22, 2020, an exception is in force to require people residing in or close designated rural areas to cross the border to access critical services.

As of July 9, 2020, an exception is now in force for NSW transiting citizens via Victoria in particular conditions.

Masks

The Australian Government Department of Health does not necessarily require that healthy individual to use facial masks. Nonetheless, there will be times when the general population wears face masks when there is cultural contact, and physical isolation becomes challenging to achieve.

The most significant advantage of wearing a mask is to warn other citizens if you're not right; wearing a mask can may the risk of transmission of the infection on to someone.

You will have to carefully track the info given by your government or jurisdiction to ensure that all instructions or guidelines on wearing face masks are observed in your workplace.

The Victorian Government has introduced mandatory standards for carrying facial masks. WorkSafe Victoria has released guidelines about the usage of facial masks by workers.

Face masks may be an important safety mechanism for industries such as clinics, emergency centers, or elderly care centers where employees have regular, near interaction with symptomatic individuals who could be subjected to respiratory substances (e.g., coughing or sneezing). Face masks are often needed by healthcare staff when conducting complex surgical procedures or gathering respiratory samples through research. Workers in such environments are specifically qualified to wear, use, and acceptably dispose of masks.

There could be other circumstances in which facial masks are reasonable. For As proposed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), aged care employees who operate in nursing homes or offer assistance for home treatment in Victoria's Stage 3 limited areas should be allowed to wear surgical masks.

NSW will advise the public to wear masks to prevent heading down the same path as Victoria suggests the leading epidemiologist. University of NSW Professor Raina MacIntyre said there was a "real risk" of further population dissemination through NSW than was observed and called for the use of face masks.

"Pre-emptive steps, like early usage of face masks, will be implemented in NSW," said Professor MacIntyre. "The sooner you start using, the most efficient it would be." It can lead to variations in not heading down the same path as Victoria.

Customers of the second Thai Rock restaurant in Sydney were led to isolation on Monday following a successful coronavirus check for the staff and the customer. NSW Health has advised people that went to the Thai Rock Potts Point for even more than two hours between Wednesday, July 15, and Saturday, July 25, to be screened and self-isolated for 14 days, irrespective of whether they have symptoms.

Those who came for a limited amount of time were mostly self-isolated.

"Investigations into the cause of virus are ongoing," said NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant. The latest estimates carry the cumulative number of coronavirus cases connected to Thai Rock restaurants to 72.

Hospital personnel is also obliged to wear masks while within 1.5 meters of patients after NSW Health escalated the exposure of amber. The latest regulations on masks in healthcare environments mirror stricter limits on bars, pubs, marriages, and funerals, which fell into effect at midnight.

A maximum of 36,169 tests was completed at NSW on Thursday. Seven additional cases were reported in that time, including six cases related to the outbreak of the Thai Rock Restaurant in Wetherill Park in the west of Sydney.

Three of these reports related to Thai Rock are from the Church of Our Lady of Lebanon, and three are near associates with other cases.

Masks and Uses

As proposed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), aged care employees who operate in nursing homes or offer assistance for home treatment in Victoria's Stage 3 limited areas should be allowed to wear surgical masks. NSW should also implement such measures.

Be mindful that incorrect or wrong usage of face masks can raise the threat of COVID-19 and result in new exposures to WHS. Workers who are obliged to wear a mask will be qualified to use, clean, and dispose of masks, with hand hygiene practices (cleaning hands with soap and water for 10 seconds) before and after the mask has been removed. Masks must, therefore, be checked regularly and kept properly in compliance with the guidelines of the supplier.

You may need to ensure sufficient services are available while masks are required in the workplace. It requires adequate hand washing equipment and a locked container for the recycling of masks used.

Single-use surgical masks can be a safe choice for most workplaces, but correctly designed fabric masks can be preferred if they are routinely cleaned, and adequate washing procedures are in effect.

Surgical mask surgical masks are loose-fitting, and they are disposable masks that create a functional shield between the user's mouth and nose and surroundings. Surgical masks are not near the wearer's nose but are effective in minimizing the transmission of large particles from the sick person (such as cough spray).

For certain health care cases, it is sufficient to supply staff with a standard surgical mask. Surgical masks will be worn:

  • If someone is suspected to be a carrier of COVID19, ten they will have to wear surgical marks considering they work in the cleaning industry
  • Any person who is in self-isolation due to coronavirus
  • If the state directories recommend wearing masks and providing laws, the individuals in the area must wear masks

Cloth Masks

A cloth mask is a nose and mouth cover consisting of a washable fabric, including cotton or linen. Cloth masks could be suggested for usage by the general population when mass sharing and physical differences are challenging to manage. Cloth masks must be properly crafted and built to ensure that they are sufficiently covered and properly treated and cleaned.

The Australian government also provided guidelines on cloth masks.

High Particulate Respirator (P2 or N95) Masks

P2 and N95 masks are aimed at reducing respiratory sensitivity to airborne pollutants. These are used because there is a large possibility of airborne delivery by spores or droplets. P2 and N95 masks will have a reasonable face fit to prevent pollution. Workers must be equipped to accommodate, use, and dispose of P2 and N95 masks.

Throughout the case of COVID-19, P2 / N95 masks must be used in health care facilities in such conditions. Additional details about the usage of facial masks for healthcare staff are accessible on the Department of Health's website.

The demand for P2 masks rose due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This extra demand is contributing to bogus respiratory security devices flooding the Australian industry.

During such times of COVID-19, we must take precautions before anything worse happens. It is our duty as individuals and citizens to take care of our surroundings, community, and family. Masks are now essential, so if you don't use masks, it can be much more damaging than you might anticipate. Remember: precaution is better than cure!