UPDATED: 6:20 pm 16 Sept

Hello Clubs & Paddlers,
 
Over the last 48hrs the NSW Government has come out with updates to COVID restrictions for parts of Regional NSW and a “Roadmap to Freedom” for NSW once the adult population reaches 70% vaccination rate.
 
After consultation with the Office of Sport it has been determined that parts of regional NSW currently deemed low risk and which have seen zero COVID cases for at least 14 days will emerge from lockdown at 12:01am Saturday 11 September but will continue to operate under restrictions to ensure the safety of regional communities.
 
Local Government Areas (LGAs) still seeing COVID case numbers will continue to follow stay-at-home orders and will be monitored by NSW Health with updates provided as circumstances develop.
 
A list of freedoms that will be available to all people in regional LGAs where stay-at-home orders have lifted and an interactive map that shows which local government areas coming out of lockdown can be found here https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/lockdown-lifted-parts-of-regional-nsw
 
It is DBNSW’s understanding after receiving confirmation from the Office of Sport that the change in Public Health Order for outdoor gatherings now allows up to 20 people to gather in an outdoor setting. Furthermore those outdoor gatherings with COVID-19 Safety Plans are permitted to have up to 50 people. Despite this further advice from the Office of Sport and Sport NSW is that until clarification is provided on Community Sport specifically dragon boat training cannot resume at this time.
 
 
DBNSW covid policies and guidelines can be found on our COVID INFO HUB on the DBNSW website here.
 
Roadmap to Freedom
We are encouraged by the fact that Community Sport is being talked about in the “Roadmap to Freedom” by the NSW Government. It has been reported that once vaccination rates reach 80% of the adult population the government intends to open up further freedoms around international travel, community sport, major events and other areas.
 
We will continue to consult with the Office of Sport to understand what this means for Community Sport and look to structure our season and return to sport so we can all get back on the water as soon as possible.
 
Vaccination
We thank everyone for your perseverance and understanding as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic and we encourage all members come forward and get vaccinated.
 
DBNSW is supportive of the NSW Health vaccination program and as we did with the Sport Super Sunday Vaccination campaign, we encourage everyone to help increase vaccination rates across the state by booking themselves into getting the COVID vaccine.
 
There are a variety of government resources available to help you engage your club members to help spread the message about the vaccine and the importance to be vaccinated.
 
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/vaccine/Pages/community.aspx
 
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid-19-vaccination-print-ad-arm-yourself-against-covid-19
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sKttUTSKjM
 
Every person who gets vaccinated is making a difference and will help get us all back to dragon boating sooner.
 
 

Greater Sydney including Blue Mountains and Wollongong
Stay at home rules apply to everyone living or staying in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong local government areas.
 
These rules also apply to anyone who has been in Greater Sydney for any reason within the last 14 days.
 
Unfortunately, this means for everyone living or staying in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong local government areas all dragon boat activity (including training) is not permitted. While there are some limited excuses for people in these areas to leave their home, including exercise and outdoor recreation, unfortunately the limit prevents dragon boat activity from proceeding safely.
 
Further information can be found here
 
 

Local Government Areas of Concern
COVID-19 rules and restrictions for local government areas of concern in Greater Sydney including Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield and some suburbs of Penrith
 
Additional restrictions include limitations on movement, shopping, exercise, wearing of face masks, etc.
 
Further information can be found here
 
 

Regional and Rural Locations of NSW
Regional NSW LGAs currently deemed low risk and which have seen zero COVID cases for at least 14 days will emerge from lockdown at 12:01am Saturday 11 September, but will continue to operate under restrictions to ensure the safety of regional communities.
 
 
Further information can be found here
 
Local Government Areas (LGAs) still seeing COVID case numbers will continue to follow stay-at-home orders and will be monitored by NSW Health with updates provided as circumstances develop. This like Greater Sydney means dragon boat activity (including training) is not permitted.
 

Further information can be found here

Kind Regards,
DBNSW Team