Lismore will remain in lockdown until Friday, September 10, along with the rest of NSW.The decision to keep all of regional and rural NSW under stay at home orders was announced at this morning’s NSW Premier’s Covid update conference.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “we appreciate the regions may not have cases and want to come out of lockdown, but health advises us to keep it longer”.Deputy Premier John Barilaro said keeping the whole State under the same restrictions was helping keep case numbers down and taking pressure off the health care system.“Sewage system surveillance in regional NSW has been showing virus fragments, in areas where there are no cases reported,” he said.“It’s a tinder box waiting to explode.“The reason you may not have cases is because of the restrictions implemented to stop movement in NSW.“Now is the time to stay united and work with restrictions."Restriction changes for the regionsMs Berejiklian said from September 13, any LGAs not considered areas of concern will have a lessening of some restrictions.Groups of five people will be allowed to gather outdoors in their own LGA - as long as all adults over 18 years of age in the group are vaccinated - and can show proof of vaccination.“This option meets the mental health and wellbeing needs of community and is our lowest risk setting,” she said."You can have a picnic in the park, or gather for an event."She also said people from outside your household still cannot enter your home.In areas of concern in NSW, families are allowed to go out of their homes for an extra hour a day for recreation, on top the hour they are already allowed for exercise – as long as all the adults in the family are vaccinated.Get ready for opening up“We also call on industry and citizens to be ready for when the target of having 70% of the population vaccinated is reached," Ms Berejiklian said.“There is no easy way to open up,” she said. “We will start to have the conversation about what will open – but it will only be for people who are vaccinated.“Even at 80% full vaccination rates, people will still need to use QR codes and other current restrictions.“The key message is that people must be vaccinated to participate in what will happen.“So, dust off your Covid safety plans and get your QR codes.“We are also working on an app that will allow you to sign in to a venue – and that will come out within weeks.”“All other areas are under the same restrictions."“Public health and safety comes first and we need to accept that Delta will always be with us and open up responsibly.“Some people will get very ill – but we have to come to terms with it and we will manage it with high vaccination rates.”Ms Berejiklian said the target of 70% vaccination would arrive sometime in October and that “we are doing better that expected”.Case numbersNSW recorded 1029 cases of community transmission yesterday and three deaths – people in their 30s, 60s and 70s - all unvaccinated  Of these locally acquired cases, 185 are linked to a known case or cluster – 160 are household contacts and 25 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 844 cases is under investigation.136000 people were vaccinated in the past 24 hours and more than 150,000 were tested.

In Lismore, the sounds of the Scottish bagpipes are in danger of becoming extinct.For 75 years, members of the Lismore City Pipe band have proudly donned their kilts, hats and brogues and piped and drummed their way through ceremonies, streets and festivals.But, according to Pipe Band president Rob Manitta, the number of local band members has fallen so low, that the band may not be able to continue.“The band has been in existence for 75 years and we would like to make to 100, but we need membership to get there,” Rob said. “Anyone keen to learn to play pipes or drums in the band, can come along and learn. “We are happy to teach kids or anyone who wants a hobby. My son was a drummer from the age of eight.”BeginningsRob said the pipe band started by Scottish settlers in the area.“The original Pipe Major was Alistaire McQueen, who was part of the McQueen clan,” he said.“That’s where our Glengarrie tartan came from – the McQueen clan tartan.”Rob himself started piping in 1996. “My mother has Scottish heritage and she was a highland dancer.,” he said.“On trips to my grandparents as a young kid, I was listening to bagpipe music.“When I moved to Lismore, I drove past the Brewster Street band hall and saw they had tuition, so I started learning with Neville Northfield, who taught me for $1 a lesson.”Members and costsRob said in order to keep going, the band needs monetary assistance, as well as members. “We used to have a strong ladies auxiliary who used to fundraise for us, but they got older and there’s not a lot of young members now,” he said.“We have the Brewster Street band hall that is owned by council, but we still have insurance and rates costs wot insurance and rates.”How many pipers make a band?At the moment, there are down to six pipers and three drummers. “We could make do with that, but it would be nice to have eight or more pipers and the same number of drummers,” Ron said.“We have the uniforms and equipment to cater for more – it doesn’t matter who you are, you need to love Scottish traditional music.”Learning the bagpipesRob said learning to play the bagpipes starts no on the pipes themselves, but on an instrument called a pipe chanter.“If you’ve ever played a recorder, you can easily make the transition to the pipes,” he said. “It’s the same for same for drummers – and we have three types of drums – the side drum, tenor drum and bass drum.“We need tenor drummers to do the flourishing with sticks.”The futureThe pipe band’s trademark gig is playing at ANZAC day ceremonies. Rob said the band has played at local festivals, markets and in the Australasian pipe competitions.If you would like to get involved, contact Rob on 0413 180 443.Practice nights are Monday nights, from 7.30pm onwards, but more sessions will be scheduled if learners come on board. 

With another 919 new Covid cases reported yesterday, the hot question at the NSW Premier’s Covid update conference was ‘will the NSW-wide lockdown be extended for longer?’NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the government hasn’t decided yet, but that Covid case numbers in NSW would be considered when deciding, as well as what’s going on over the State borders.Read local Covid news: No Covid news is good news for Lismore“The reality is it’s about protecting lives and not losing control in regional and rural NSW,” he said.“We will make that decision sooner rather than later and give people notice.”With the current lockdown scheduled to finish this Saturday, it’s expected the decision will be made imminently.Premier Gladys Berejiklian reiterated the same, ongoing message of how important increasing population vaccination numbers was to seeing greater freedoms for NSW residents.She referred to Covid vaccinations being like “suits of armour” that reduce a person’s chance of being contagious.The press conference today also took on a more emotive tone - appealing to people’s concerns about the health impacts of Covid.Vaccine and Covid symptomsLung specialist Lucy Morgan said she wanted to change people’s attitudes and anxieties about the vaccine, by giving more understanding of what it’s like to have Covid.“Most people have few symptoms in the early days,” she said. “The first symptoms are like any other cold or flu, with a mild headache, sore throat, little bit of a cough, some muscle aches or fever.“Some people are breathless and dizzy. Symptoms can be a severe migraine-like headache that makes you sensitive to light and gives you a stiff neck - it takes more than Panadol to relieve it.“My patients have bad a cough and can’t speak or walk without it becoming terrible.“Some have lots of diarreah or nausea and can’t eat or drink.“They feel overwhelmingly fatigued and all they can do is lie on the bed.“Initially, you may feel breathless walking fast or making the bed. Then even talking makes you breathless.“Call the ambulance f you feel like this, don’t call the GP. These are signs the illness is progressing quickly.“As people become increasingly breathless, oxygen in the blood continues to drop and they need extra support to keep the oxygen up and may need a machine to do the breathing for them.“I have people in their 20s, 30s and 40s in hospital.“Get your vaccine today, to protect your loved ones and yourself.”Case numbersOf the 919 new Covid cases, 178 are linked to a known case or cluster – 153 are household contacts and 25 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 741 cases is under investigation.The total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic is 20,266. So far there have been 13 deaths.There were also 537 public health order infringement notices issued in past 24 hours, some relating to non-compliance with the take away food restrictions.Read more news: BREAKING NEWS: Lismore Show is cancelled - again

The 2021 Lismore Show has been cancelled due to Covid-19.It now joins 32 other NSW agricultural shows which have been cancelled this year.The sad news was announced today by North Coast National president John Gibson.Read Covid news: Government gears up for decision on lockdown extension Mr Gibson said he understood the community’s disappointment that the event has now been cancelled for a second consecutive year. “However, the safety of our community and exhibitors must always be our first priority,” he said.“We know that many people, rely on the show to generate an income, keep their knowledge and interests current and make and strengthen their friendships. “We also know that the show is a safe and fun place for our community to come together and celebrate.“We are proud of this history and look forward to welcoming the community and exhibitors back in October 2022 for an even bigger and better show.”North Coast National secretary Mark Sollom said after months of organising the 2021 show, it wasn’t just the organising team who were disappointed. “It takes months for the primary producers to prepare cattle, pigs and goats to look good for the show – and it’s a great disappointment to them too,” he said.“But we will keep going and next year will be great.”UpgradesMr Gibson said the showgrounds has been upgraded in preparation for the show.“Currently we are completely renovating the iconic Norma’s Kitchen in the Members' Grandstand, as well as laying new footpaths,” he said.“It’s not the cheeriest of times right now, but we are working hard to ensure that there will be plenty of great entertainment, food, fun and educational exhibitions when it’s showtime next year.“It’s going to be a great party! It’ll be good to be back.”

Lismore, along with all of regional and metropolitan NSW will remain in lockdown until August 28.The extension of the statewide lockdown was announced in the NSW Premier’s press conference this morning.Premier Gladys Berejiklian said extending the lockdown of regional and rural Australia was a “precautionary response”.She said the crisis committee extended the lockdown to be in line with the greater Sydney lockdown based on Covid case numbers - and “to get down to zero cases in the regions”.Yesterday, 681 new cases of Covid 19 were reported in NSW.She said the new cases, not just in Sydney, but in Dubbo, Bathurst and Mudgee – as well as in the Southern region of Goulbourn and Northern region of South Kempsey - meant “we need to continue to be worried about the regions”.“The detections of Covid virus fragments in Yamba sewage and other regional areas has given us a level of concern,” she said.“We want people to stay at home and stop the spread, so we are keeping the regions in lockdown.”She reiterated that people should get tested and isolate if they exhibit any symptoms of Covid.NSW Queensland borderWhen questioned about the difficulties that Northern Rivers border communities had in crossing from Tweed Heads over into Queensland, a NSW Police spokesperson said moving the borderline to any other location would just be shifting the problem – and it was not a solution.“The police commissioner is working with our Queensland counterparts to work with critical supply chains on the border,” he said.“We won’t move the border because it will have unintended consequences for the broader Northern Rivers area.”He also announced that a permit system for those living in the Greater Sydney region kicks in on Saturday.“If you go to the regions to inspect a home, that will be permitted,” he said“All essential workers leaving the Greater Sydney will need to have a permit and will need to have Covid test for previous seven days.He also said the areas of Shellharbour and the Central Coast will be treated as regional NSW, not Greater Sydney.VaccinationsThe Premier and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant encouraged people to get vaccinated as soon as they can, in order to reach the target of 80% of the population being vaccinated“In NSW, we already have had 5.5 million jabs,” the Premier said. “When get to six million, people will have the opportunity to have greater freedoms.“These are challenging times, but we can see the light at the tunnel – once we get high vaccination rates, life will look much rosier.“Now more than ever we need to reach out to one another.“We need to lift our spirits and focus on accessing supports and services and look after each other.”Opening up again“When we do open up again, Delta will start creeping in. We can’t pretend there will be no cases of Delta. We will have to live it.”Dr Chant said there had been 120,000 Covid tests done in NSW.Of the active Covid cases in NSW, 471 were in hospital and 82 cases in ICU were not vaccinated. One person died yesterday who had one dose of the vaccine already.

Almost stepping on a six foot python in his garage didn't deter Braiden Mates from putting on his outdoor light show last weekend.While the show started a little later than expected (because of the snake), the Goonellabah local made sure he brought light into the darkness of Covid lockdown.Braiden lives alone, has a disability and struggles with anxiety.So, when he felt the darkness of lockdown walls closing in, he wanted to knock down the walls and bring some colour and warmth into his life – and the lives of others. So, he set up all of his outdoor Christmas lights, added in some disco lights and put on a light show outside his home on Sunday and Monday nights. The light show wasn’t just for him and his neighbours – he made a video of the lights and streamed it live on his Facebook page.“It’s a way for me to reach out to the community,” Braiden said. “I’m trying to keep positive with doing the light show, cleaning the house and watching Netflix.“Staying positive, healthy and achieving goals are the things that makes lockdown more enjoyable “Hopefully life can go back to normal and we get out of lockdown soon.”Normally, Braiden is a volunteer photographer who loves going out and taking photos at events, and for Far North Coast Hockey.“I haven’t been able to get out into nature to take photos because of the 5km stay at home rule,” he said. “So, the lights were a way of saying ‘there’s a light at the end of the tunnel’ - then we can all party.”Braiden said he had responses on his Facebook page from people who loved what he was doing and thanked him. “I was overwhelmed that people were responding,” he said. “I love doing things for other people above myself The inspiration for the light show came from the light show that the local Theatre Company put on the Rochdale Theatre building during last year’s lockdown. Braiden said if anyone is keen to see the light show again, let him know on his Facebook page Braiden Mates Photography, and he will do another live streaming event.

Yamba has become the most recent regional town found to have Covid-19 fragments in its sewage.It now joins the Northern NSW towns and cities of Lismore, Byron, Lennox Head and Ballina as one of the regional areas now marked for government sewage surveillance.Read more Covid news: Government cagey on NSW lockdown end dateIn the Premier’s press conference this morning, Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the government was now focussing more on sewage testing in rural areas, not just major cities. “We are re-prioritising rural sewage testing and we are working with regional councils on this,” she said. “We are happy so many councils want to come on board with sewage surveillance and we will allocate our finite resources accordingly.”Yamba testingWhile there are no new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in residents of Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) and no known cases in the Yamba area, authorities encourage anyone with even mild symptoms to get tested.NNWLHD Acting Chief Executive Lynne Weir said the detection of fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the Yamba sewage treatment plant, could indicate undetected infections.“Sewage testing is an additional surveillance tool which can help provide early warning of undetected infections,” she said.The Yamba sewage treatment plant serves approximately 6,500 people. Additional samples are being taken this week. An additional sample taken from the Ballina sewage treatment plant on August 15 returned a negative result.  “Anyone who is even slightly unwell is urged to come forward for testing immediately, then isolate until they receive a negative result,” Ms Weir said.“We are also strongly encouraging people who may live on properties which are not connected to the town sewage supply systems, to please be alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately.  “Getting tested not only helps our public health teams respond quickly, it also means that if you do become more severely ill, we can provide necessary medical care and treatment.”A new testing clinic will be operational from tomorrow in Yamba at the QML Pathology Drive Through Clinic, Raymond Laurie Sports Centre, 78 Angourie Rd, Yamba. Open 9am- 3pm. No appointments are required.Read more Covid news: New check-in method means leave your smartphone at home

While there were 633 new locally acquired cases of Covid in NSW yesterday, including one in Kempsey, the good news is that the Northern Rivers had none.However, with the rising number of cases across the state, the hot topic today at the NSW Premier’s press conference was, will the lockdown be extended?Read more Covid news: Yamba sewage test shows Covid fragmentsWhen asked by journalists if the lockdown will continue past Saturday, NSW Police Commissioner Fuller said “maybe”, particularly as the spread of covid had now reached the mid north coast.Stricter measuresDuring the conference, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was questioned about the current lockdown and whether restrictions were harsh enough, considering NSW covid cases numbers are rising, while Melbourne’s remain stable.The Premier answered “you can have every rule set in place but if people do the wrong thing, the virus can spread”.Police penaltiesYesterday, police issued 736 penalty notices, with 448 issued to people moving outside of their homes in breach of the stay at home orders.Police Deputy Commissioner Warboys said "one guy from Sydney got in his car and travelled around country roads in NSW because he was sick of covid and wanted to get out and about".“He hit a kangaroo and police were called while locals helped him. He was fined $1000 and he returned to Sydney," he said.Stay homeMs Berejiklian urged people to stay home and limit their mobility to stop the spread of covid.“Every time you leave the house, assume someone has the virus – and minimise your activity and mobility,” she said“It’s a collective responsibility - it’s all of us working together,” she said. “Think about the loved ones we are not seeing, kids not at school.”R rate and vaccinations Based on current numbers of covid cases, The Premier said the current reproduction rate (R rate) of Covid was 1.3, which means one person with the virus spreads it to 1.3 people.She said restrictions were likely to remain until the R rate goes below one.The Premier was also asked if she would continue to promise that restrictions would ease next month.“If people get vaccinated and follow the rules, then in September and October, we can look at easing restrictions,” she said.“We would like to see the 12 to 15 year olds vaccinated. In future, we may provide vaccines in younger age groups, and will be targeting school aged children quickly as we know they contribute to transmission.”Child careChief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant was asked if there should be a clamping down on people sending their children to childcare centresDr Chant replied “don’t send them unless absolutely have to”.“If you working from home, then it’s not critical,” she said.Breast screeningDr Chant was also asked if the stopping of breast screen surveillance for cancer was a concern for women’s health.“If a woman has symptoms, she should go to her GP and get a check done,” she said.Financial grantsThe Premier said the government has received $260,000 applications for financial assistance through the covid grants program.“We’ve never had this demand level before,” she said.She also apologised to businesses who have not yet received response or payment in regard to applying for the grant. She also said waiting times on phone calls were initially about two hours, but were now down to 18 minutes.Case numbersOf the 633 new locally acquired cases of Covid yesterday, 158 are linked to a known case or cluster – 145 are household contacts and 13 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 475 cases is under investigation.Ninety-four cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 30 were in isolation for part of their infectious period.Sixty-two cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 447 cases remains under investigation.Read more Covid news: New check-in method means leave your smartphone at home

Discovering the science behind beer making, taking a virtual reality tour of the universe and solving ecological crimes with eco-botany are just some of the ways Australians can get involved in National Science Week 2021.This year marks the 25th anniversary of the annual event, which starts this weekend and recognises the achievements of our scientific community. It also helps to spark the imaginations of the next generation of budding scientists.Throughout the week, universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and other organisations across the country will deliver a range of in-person or online events, ensuring everyone can participate regardless of COVID-19 restrictions.Minister for Industry Science and Technology, Christian Porter said this year’s National Science Week continues its tradition of excellence and he encourages all Australians to jump online and check out the range of opportunities to get involved.“Whether it’s Dinner with Dinosaurs in South Australia, ExBEERimental Science in Hobart, or testing your science knowledge in our national science quiz (nationally online), there are events to suit all ages and interests.“Of course, National Science Week is also an important opportunity to thank our extraordinary scientists and researchers for their hard work and their efforts to inspire and encourage the next generation of Australian leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”Specific events have also been organised for students, with the 2021 school theme Food: Different by Design, providing insights into topics such as food production, sustainable agriculture, biosecurity, food technology and laboratory-developed foods.The Morrison Government provided almost $500,000 to support public science projects as part of the National Science Week Grants announced earlier this year.National Science Week 2021 will run from 14 to 22 August. More details, including a full list of events here.

The NSW Government has imposed a privatisation target of $3 billion on its departments and agencies, including education, to boost its budget and pay for future infrastructure projects, according to a brief prepared for the NSW Skills Minister Geoff Lee.The privatisation goals as revealed by The Sydney Morning Herald come after the March sale of the Scone campus to Racing NSW, who plan to continue to use the state-of-the-art equestrian facility for training.The government is accused of ‘double dipping’ according to a briefing document outlining the new targets were set for government departments to meet by 2023 to “manage fiscal headroom and fund infrastructure”.Sales goals are separate from the current broad privatisation or ‘recycling of assets’ with the Department of Education being allocated a $90 million target.Opposition leader Chris Minns said the government needs to be honest with the people of NSW about their privatisation targets, including health and education.“Forcing departments to hit a privatisation target will mean selling off essential services that rightly belong to the public, and should continue servicing the people of NSW,” he said.“This means selling $90 million worth of schools and TAFEs. “It means selling land that should instead deliver more schools, not less.”Assistant Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union NSW, Troy Wright said it is straight out of the government’s privatisation playbook.“Under resource the system and then sell it off claiming the private market will do a better job. “The Berejiklian government needs to come clean about its sale plans for TAFE NSW because the selling off of campuses and sacking staff looks like privatisation by stealth," he said.Mr Wright added that training standards will be at risk for ‘shonky private facilities’ whose only motivation will be getting students through the doors, not necessarily equipping them with the best skills for jobs in the future.“Who would you want fixing the plumbing or wiring in your house, cutting your hair, or managing your food? “Someone trained by a shonky, private facility churning through students, or someone who went to a world-class vocational trainer which sets the industry standards like TAFE NSW?"A spokesperson for TAFE NSW said they are committed to delivering high-quality training and meeting the skills needs of students, employers and industries across the North Rivers and has no plans to divest its Lismore, Casino, and Wollongbar campuses.“There are no plans to privatise TAFE NSW. “For more than 130 years, TAFE NSW has bought and sold sites across the state to adapt its training to meet the evolving needs of industry and community. “By selling unused or underutilised property, the revenue can be used to invest in more modern teaching and learning facilities for the people of NSW.The spokesperson said TAFE NSW is investing in building new modern facilities and equipment alongside renewing existing spaces throughout the Northern Rivers to establish seven new digitally-enabled teaching and learning spaces across campuses at Lismore, Casino and Wollongbar. “This initiative will increase TAFE NSW’s reach across regional NSW and significantly expand the available courses and learning opportunities to those communities,” the spokesperson said. Yet after a decade of privatisations, the NSW Government has managed to sell $82 billion of assets that used to belong to the people of NSW.  This includes handing over a staggering 12 per cent of the state’s land and buildings assets to the private sector. 

Residents in the village of Nimbin were in a state of high alert this week when they discovered that a Covid positive man had ties to the town.Alarm bells were raised when Nimbin Pharmacy posted on Facebook that staff had been informed by Lismore Hospital they were “at high risk of exposure” to the Sydney man at the centre of the current lockdown.While the pharmacy had not actually been visited by the man, the staff were considered close contacts. This resulted in the pharmacy closing on Tuesday while staff were tested for Covid. Fortunately, the results came back negative.So, when health authorities finally released a list of venues of concern that the man had visited (in Byron and Bangalow), Lismore locals were left wondering why there was no mention of Nimbin.State MP Janelle Saffin said she had been “deluged” with concerned messages from fearful locals who had been waiting for a list of potential Covid exposure sites in Nimbin.Ms Saffin said locals’ fears were further heightened when a Nimbin real estate agency posted on Facebook that it was closed for deep cleaning.“People sent me messages asking ‘what does this mean?’ Ms Saffin said.Casual contactsThe man was reported to have left Sydney’s lockdown to come to the Byron and Lismore Local Government Areas to look at real estate. Contact tracing was delayed when he was allegedly uncooperative in revealing where he had visited, as he had not used mandatory check ins at venues.“I understand the man did not visit the Nimbin venues, but the pharmacy staff were considered ‘casual contacts’ due to his associations,” Ms Saffin said.The pharmacy posted on Facebook “as we service people most at risk from this virus, we made the decision to act fast and get tested so we could be back at work ASAP”.On social media, one Nimbin local posted that the Nimbin Hills Real Estate Agency showed the man a property in the area while he was here.Ms Saffin posted into a Nimbin community social media group “To our Nimbin community I understand your concern, but am assured that NSW Health has assessed the risk well and would advise if there was an exposure site in town. No exposure site listing is good news. Testing is available in town, as it is in many places across our area, please take advantage of it”.Clear communication neededMs Saffin said the real issue is the lack of clear and timely messages from NSW Health to the local community.“Even if the issue is complex, we need detailed, effective communication in a way we can understand it - and that was missing in this situation,” she said.“NSW Health have done a good job in tracing, but what we need is a better way to communicate the complexities of the situation to a unique community.“People in Nimbin look after each other in times of difficulties - look at how Nimbin dealt with the 2019 bushfires.”“I’ve been asking for weeks now, how come people are allowed out of Sydney? It’s something that Mayors in regional areas have recently called for too.“I understand that policing a ‘ring of steel’ around Sydney is difficult, but we want it. We need to do the best we can, while knowing we can’t have police on every corner."The Lismore App contacted the Northern NSW Local Health District for comment, but had not received any at the time of publication.

At 7pm last night, eight more regional areas of NSW entered a one week lockdown.In a NSW Government press conference this morning, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government would consider putting the whole of the State into a lockdown if the spread of Covid necessitated it.Read more news: From hot food to toilet paper, find out what's open in Lismore“While many town streets are empty as most people are doing the right things, just a handful of people doing the wrong thing could cause major setbacks,” the Premier said.“We are still recovering from gatherings and people doing the wrong thing.”It was revealed that two businesses in Mullumbimby were served with infringement notices yesterday.Joining the Northern Rivers under stay at home orders are the Western NSW LGAs of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren - after a man visited Dubbo and Bathurst while infectious.“Singles bubble”People still can have one visitor at one time to fulfil carers' responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but do not live together. When asked if the “singles bubble” rule was too hard to police, the Premier said it was important to keep people physically and mentally healthy.“We allow the singles bubble so we can provide mental health support for those on their own,” she said.New casesOvernight, there were 345 new cases of Covid reported overnight in NSW. There are 374 cases in hospital, with 62 in ICU and 29 on ventilation.Of those in hospital, 57 were not vaccinated and the remaining five have had one vaccination dose.There were two deaths overnight, with both people in their 90s.Vaccines, infection and “guilt”The Premier said “one does of the vaccine reduces how contagious you are and keeps people out of hospital”.“You might be ok with the virus but your close loved ones may not be,” she said.“The guilt people have knowing they infected their loved ones lasts a lifetime.“Some families have seen more than one death when one person gets the virus and takes it home.“Delta leaves no room for error.”StressGovernment health advisor and psychiatrist Dr Murray Wright said this Covid crisis is “the most sustained and serious stress most of us face in our lifetime”.“How we manage it will help minimise impacts," he said.His advice to manage the stress is to keep structure in your life, regular daily exercise.“You should contact those close to you and talk about meaningful things," he said.“Look at your look diet, and sleep and set goals every day and keep them.“If it’s not working and you can’t sleep or concentrate of feel fatigued, irritable or drink too much alcohol , ask what can I do to change how I’m approaching the day?“Do I need help? Ask others if they are ok.”

At Lismore’s Nightowl this week, “every day feels like a Sunday”, according to shop manager, Carlos.This week marks Lismore’s second lockdown since Covid arrived more than a year ago. For businesses allowed to stay open to sell essential items like food, drinks and other groceries, it’s a lot quieter than they are used to.“We do still have a lot of toilet paper, as well as milk, bread and other essentials,” Carlos laughed.“It’s been quiet with the pub closed and only the supermarkets and take away shops open.“Today we only had about 150 people come in – well below the average – but we will still be open every day from 6am to 8pm.“Over the past four years, we’ve survived flood, drought, fires and now the plague – and we are still surviving.”Café closesAt The Garden Plate café, it’s a different story.While the popular café remained open on Tuesday and Wednesday, this week, staff made the decision to close for the remainder of the lockdown period. “We have lots of fresh food that can’t be frozen and reused like other businesses, so it’s a decision we’ve made to shut,” a staff member said.The café will open again next Tuesday, if the lockdown lifts as scheduled.GoolmangarKirsten at the Goolmangar General Store said while it’s much quieter, it’s still business as usual.“There’s no rush on toilet paper - everyone on top of things here,” she laughed.In fact, the local business has taken on selling produce and other goods from locals who were unable to sell them at the usual markets, cancelled because of Covid.“We are now selling fruit and veges and waffles from the market stall people,” Kirsten said.“This really is their shop and we are all about supporting local business."The Store opens 6.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday and closes 7pm on Saturday and 8pm on Sunday. Pirlo'sIt’s the same story at Pirlo's Fruit Barn. Bobby at Pirlo's said while Monday was busy when everyone was “stocking up”, it’s been quiet since then.“We are not selling wholesale at the moment, just selling vegetables, fruit, cheeses and groceries at the front – and we don’t sell toilet paper,” he laughed.Pirlo's is open 7am to 6pm every day.Hot foodIf you are looking for dinner options, you can still order take away only meals from a number of local restaurants.Masala Fusion Indian restaurant on Keen Street will be open from 4.30pm to 8.30pm every for take away and delivery. At the Grill Shack, Zeal said while it has been “a bit quieter”, lots of people have still been keen on buying their fish and chips.“We are and essential service and we do have the best fish and chips in town,” he said.The Grill Shack is open 12pm to 7.30pm Monday to Wednesday and 12pm to 8pm Thursday to Sunday.Emily at Uncle Lim’s Asian Fusion said the Keen Street restaurant is open for take away from 4pm to 8pm Tuesday to Sunday.“It has been so quiet,” Emily said. “Yesterday only five people ordered take away.“I hope more come in and buy some food this week.”While we all stay at home and abide by the Covid restrictions this week, one thing we can all do is to continue to support our local food businesses.So consider supporting one of your favourite eateries and ordering your lunch and dinner.What else is open?Lismore City Council has said essential services such as water supply, sewerage, and waste collection will remain unaffected by the lockdown. Council's Corporate Centre in Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah will have some Council staff work in the building and people can continue to phone Council.Council parks and open spaces remain open, however, all play equipment, barbecues, skateparks, exercise equipment and similar are closed and cannot be used.Council roadworks will continue and Lismore Airport will be operating, with a reduced number of flights.The Blakebrook Quarry, Lismore Cemetery and Crematorium will continue to operate, with some new health protocols in place.Services closed for the duration of the lockdown include:The Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre in Wyrallah Road. Nimbin Transfer StationThe Revolve Shop and CDS Bulk Drop OffThe Goonellabah Sports and Aquatic CentreThe Lismore Regional GalleryLismore City HallCouncil depots, such as at Brunswick Street and Wyrallah Road, are closed to public accessAll libraries in the affected Local Government Areas. However, the eLibrary is open

As contact tracing continues for the case of the Sydney man who visited the Northern Rivers – more contact venues of concern have been released today by the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD).Read more: Byron Bay visit sees man charged for breaching health ordersNNSWLHD acting chief executive Lynne Weir said while there are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported among local residents, anyone who attended the following venues needs to get tested.“Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result,” Ms Weir said.“NSW Health sends a text message to people who have checked in at close contact venues with further information," Ms Weir said.“We also make a follow-up call to close contacts to discuss the isolation and testing requirements. If you have not received a text message, please call 1800 943 553.”"If you are directed to get tested for COVID-19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website. NSW Health does not disclose details about venues of concern unless there is a public health reason. COVID-19 Testing Update  "We want to thank everyone who has come forward for testing in the past few days," Ms Weir said." It is such an important part of our community response in terms of identifying new cases and tracking where the virus may have spread. "On Tuesday 10 August, more than 3000 tests were conducted at NSW Health and drive through clinics across the District, with many more conducted at other GP and respiratory clinics in the region.  "This comes on top of sustained high testing rates over recent weeks, with 9,177 tests conducted among NNSWLHD residents for the week of 1-7 August."All the local testing clinics and their opening hours are listed on the NSW government website at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and others/clinics or, you can also contact your GP.

Police will today serve the 52 year old man who visited Byron Bay and other local areas recently, with a Future Court Attendance Notice for breaching public health orders. Following police inquiries, including appeals for public assistance, the man from Rose Bay in Sydney will be charged after he allegedly travelled from Sydney to the NorthernRivers region, without a reasonable excuse and in contravention of the public health orders. The Notice will be served on the man at the Lismore Base Hospital with strict bail conditions. He will appear at Lismore Local Court on Monday, September 13 and police inquiries are ongoing.Police will also allege the man failed to check-in to several venues using either a QR-code through Service NSW or through a written register at premises in Byron Bay and Bangalow.The Future Court Attendance Notice lists seven offences including:Not comply with noticed direction re s 7/8/9 - COVID-19 (x3)Fail to comply with electronic registration directive (x4)LockdownThe charge comes after the Northern Rivers region was plunged into a lockdown on Monday when the man tested positive for Covid 19, after becoming unwell.He was admitted to Lismore Base Hospital while police investigated where the man had visited during his travels in the region.He was also travelling with two teenagers, who also tested positive for Covid 19.Because of the man's alleged failure to Covid check in at any of the venues, a quick contact-tracing response by authorities was delayed.It is also believed that the man was visiting the region to look at real estate properties - in effect taking advantage of a potential loophole in the Covid restrictions which allow a person to look at real estate. NSW cases In a press conference this morning, the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked about the Byron Bay case and what could be done if it was found he had broken the Covid restriction regulations. “If people step well beyond the orders, there are a range of things the police can investigate in terms of whether that journey was reasonable – such as the timeliness of it,” she said. “We can we beef up fines if people intentionally travel against the orders. “The minimum penalty is $1000, or it can go before the courts and police will look at the best outcome and what the community expects should happen." Chief health minister Dr Kerry Chant said there were 344 new Covid cases overnight in NSW, and two deaths in hospital – a man in his 30s and one in his 90s. “There were 40 new cases overnight in the Hunter region and it looks like it won’t come out of lockdown later this week,” Dr Chant said. Dubbo in lockdown Dr Chant said Dubbo also goes into one week lockdown from 1pm today, after two cases were reported last night. Dr Chant reiterated the importance of vaccinations in the effort to return to “life as usual” in NSW – with six million jabs to be delivered by end of August. “We are expected to hit a 70% vaccination rate by the end October,” she said. “Then life gets more back to normal and freedoms we had before covid will come back into place,” she said. “We are working to get more popup vax clinics – it is a priority for us." Of the new locally acquired cases overnight, 62 cases are in ICU and only 19 of them are aged over 70 years old. Dr Chant said 57 of the cases were not vaccinated and 5 received only one dose of the vaccine. “There is noone in ICU who has received two doses of the vaccine,” she said. “Even one dose provides protection.” 

Leila and Amie Gray have abandoned their busy professional lives to 'slow down', regroup and share their love and purpose of sustainable living in their new Lismore shop the Upcycled Heart.Amie Gray told the Lismore App the idea is to limit waste, reuse and repurpose old things and to slow down.“Textiles in particular are one of the biggest forms of wastage we have now,” she said.“The general idea is to use old things and look after them as long as we can and when they become no longer useful to turn them into something else so a lot of the art and craft we have is using recycled materials.”Ms Gray said the other ideal is about slowing down.“Slow down production of new clothes, slow down our own lives as well.“Leila was a teacher and I was at University doing psychology honours and both of us were feeling very burnt out,” she said.The sisters, originally from the Blue Mountains and having lived for ten years in New Zealand have been raising their families in Jiggi for the past twenty years. The idea for an upcycling shop has been on the table for the Gray sisters for some time. “We just noticed everyone, when they’re talking to each other and asking ‘How are you?’ ‘busy’, ‘busy’, ‘busy’ and everyone is saying ‘We’re all in this together’.“We’ve all got to stop. “Leila and I said to each other one day over a cup of tea, we were looking at rent in Jiggi for somebody else actually and we saw that there were some empty shops in Lismore and that rent was reasonable at the moment and we just said, ‘Should we give it a go? Should we just start? Start slow and see what happens?“Try and begin what we said we want, a slower life where there’s work/life balance, where we’ve got time for our craft as well and so we actually started renting it around three months ago and we’ve only just opened now because we’ve done every single thing ourselves in the shop.”The Gray sisters have repurposed all the interior and exterior of the old Fashion Profile shop in Woodlark Street, hand-painting their own signage over the old signs and making furniture from old racks left inside. “We’ve made our own curtains, and the wallpaper was a five-dollar roll from the op-shop.“We paid homage to the flood by just stripping back this wall and we’ve just BondCreted it so that it’s all sealed so that none of that flakes off anymore.”Upcycled Heart is another addition to what is becoming known as the Woodlark Street hub for antiques, collectables and vintage wares. What stands out differently for the Gray sisters is that they invite and encourage makers, artists, and musicians to collaborate in sustainable, natural practises. “The evolution of the different crafters includes people who get involved like a woman who contacted us who makes natural face products like the beeswax wraps.“She’s already selling in a few places so we’ll probably get some of her products. “It’s great to be able to invite anyone to put anything in here as a natural market research, what sells is what will bring more in. “Local musicians are more than welcome to bring in their CDs and we’ll play them in the shop, just come in and see us.”With plenty of hand-made ornaments, interesting attire, and an open space for the community to engage with their local upcyclers, The Upcycled Heart is another keystone in the Northern Rivers burgeoning re-use ethos. “We love that Woodlark Street is becoming known as a hub and remembered thinking ‘how serendipitous and wonderful!’ Located at 59 Woodlark Street, Lismore, Upcycled Heart is open Monday to Friday between 10.00 am and 3.30 pm."Mum took us op-shopping as kids and I've been collecting beautiful clothes ever since." - Amie Gray sitting on her repurposed couch in Upcycled Heart.

Northern NSW Local Health District is reminding local residents about the border restrictions which applies to people who have been in an affected local governmentarea (LGA) of Queensland.Under the concerns notice, which came into effect on Saturday 31 July, anyone in NSW who has been to one of the 11 identified LGAs since 21 July must only leavetheir residence with a reasonable excuse for 14 days after they were last in that LGA.The 11 LGAs are: Brisbane City, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Logan City, Noosa Shire Council, Redland City,Scenic Rim Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council, and Sunshine Coast Regional Council.Acting Chief Executive Northern NSW Local Health District, Lynne Weir said the stay-at-home rules mean people can only leave their place of residence with a reasonable excuse, such as shopping, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise with a member of your household or one other person, and work or education, if you cannot do it from home.“NSW does not have a border bubble with Queensland as the areas of concern in Queensland extend all the way to the border."The stay-at-home orders are in place to reduce the risk of people transmitting COVID-19 among the Northern NSW community after visiting Queensland.”People who have been to a close contact place at the time specified in the notice must not enter NSW unless they are a NSW resident (or transiting to the ACT). If they are in NSW, they must self-isolate for 14 days since there were last at the close contact place.People who have been to a casual contact place at the time specified in the notice must not enter NSW unless they are a NSW resident (or transiting to the ACT) or they have had a negative COVID-19 test after being at the venue.If they are already in NSW, they must immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.All people entering NSW from Queensland must complete a declaration form.Anyone who has been to an affected LGA must also travel directly to their accommodation or residence.The declaration form can be completed 24 hours prior to entry, or on arrival.The form is valid for 72 hours.There are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Northern NSW Local Health District, and testing rates remained high for the second week in a row.Figures show there were 6,560 tests conducted among residents of the District for the week 25-31 July, following the previous week’s total of 6,857 tests.“If you are feeling at all unwell, please don’t wait to get a test."Come forward straight away, and self-isolate until you receive a negative result,” Ms Weir said.“As new case locations are being identified every day, we’re asking people to regularly check the Queensland and NSW Government websites for updates, particularly if they are crossing over the border or travelling out of their usual local area.“When it comes to our workforce, we risk assess staff who return to work after travelling outside our District, and this includes staff who have been in the South East Queensland LGAs.“There are additional measures we can apply when needed, such as requiring staff to have extra COVID-19 testing, wearing additional personal protective equipment, or working from home.“We urge everyone who can get vaccinated, to do so as soon as possible, in order to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities.“I want to thank our community for their continued support throughout this challenging period," Ms Weir said.The Queensland Government contact tracing website is:https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/currentstatus/contact-tracingThe NSW Government case locations are listed at:NSW COVID-19 case locations | NSW Government

Bundjalung and Gaangalu artist Amarina Williams loves painting landscape topography onto old vinyl records.Her unique artworks reflect her Indigenous heritage and are proudly on display in her new ‘Amarina Art’ gallery in the Star Court Arcade.The 27-year-old artist has been painting her whole life and said her mum has photos of her painting before she could even walk.So, it’s not surprising that she has followed her passion to open a gallery and studio dedicated to displaying and selling the works of local Bundjalung artists.“I really wanted to open a studio space and I love the energy of the Star Court Arcade with the theatre and the café,” Amarina said.“There’s was no dedicated Indigenous gallery in Lismore – and this is the hub of the Northern Rivers, so I wanted to create that space.”Amarina started painting on old vinyl records when she was younger and was “too broke” to buy canvases.“I would go to op shops and garage sales and pick up whole boxes of vinyl cheaply,” Amarina said. “I love the shape of the records.”She has no plans to start painting on CDs, because she prefers vinyl records, which are much are bigger and sturdier.HistoryAmarina grew up in Tenterfield and has lived in Lismore a few times – recently returning here to live.She said following her Indigenous heritage has always been important to her.“I am a Williams, and my mum is from the western Bundjalung area, on the border of Githabul and Bundjalung Country,” she said. “My dad is Gaangalu from Rockhampton.“I grew up with stories of growing up on Country and my art is about painting the topography – the contours and the lay of the land from an ariel view.“It’s always fascinated me – how country and rivers changed over the years.“We still have a piece of land that’s been in the family for three generations and the river topography there has changed three times over the years.”“I grew up doing orienteering and I’ve been map reading my whole life. I often walk around the land and see how it's laid out before I start painting it.”Amarina recently painted a mural in the entranceway of the women’s section at Lismore Base Hospital.“I went through the old maps before I designed it,” she said. “A lot of them are online and I look at the soil contents which influences the colours I use.“If an area is rich in iron – I will use red and orange tones.”In the new gallery, Amarina already has on display the art of seven Bundjalung artists - including Peter Faulkner-Roberts.“I come from a business management background and I have the skill set to support local Indigenous artists to help them market and sell their work,” she said.She invites people to come in, have a look and perhaps buy some art.She also plans to run small workshops once a month on Saturdays, featuring a different artist each month sharing skills in telling stories through art and pigment making with ochres.Amarina Art Gallery and studio is located at shop 9 in the Star Court Arcade. The opening hours are Tuesday 10am to 4pm, Wednesday & Thursday 11am to 5pm, Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm.To contact Amarina, you can email [email protected] or find her on Instagram.

Seeds collected to grow another million seedlings for north coast plantationsSeed collection is now underway to grow another million native seedlings to replant another 1,000 hectares of hardwood timber plantations in State forests on the north coast next year.Forestry Corporation’s Nursery Manager Kath French said Grafton Nursery staff were currently collecting seeds from specially selected trees in preparation for the 2022 planting season.“We have doubled the capacity of Grafton nursery, allowing us to grow a million eucalypt seedlings this year to replant hardwood timber plantations, and we’re now getting ready to plant another million eucalypt seedlings in 2022,” Ms French said.“Our nursery staff have been gathering seeds from trees in Wedding Bells State Forest near Coffs Harbour that we’ll propagate and nurture so they can be planted early next year,"Seeds are carefully selected from trees with good genetic properties that have adapted to local conditions and that will grow straight and strong.“Once we’ve collected our seeds, we will spend the next nine months or so growing them into seedlings before distributing one million trees to State forest plantations early next year,” Ms French said.Forestry Corporation’s Hardwood Plantation Manager Craig Busby said the seedlings would restock plantations that have recently been harvested for timber.“Unfortunately, many of the hardwood timber plantations we manage were impacted by fires in 2019-20, so we have been working to harvest and replant the affected plantations as quickly as possible. "We have also increased the amount of timber we have been harvesting from plantations over the past couple of years following the fires while we’ve been carrying out environmental assessments and monitoring recovery in the native forests that produce timber,” Mr Busby said.“Every time we harvest a timber plantation we completely replant it for the next generation, so we have doubled our replanting rate to restock these plantations for the future.“This year, we hand planted one million native eucalypt seedlings to restock 1,000 hectares of timber plantations – that’s about the equivalent of 2,000 football fields – and we are preparing to do the same again in 2022.“Plantations are a really sustainable way to supply the community with renewable timber products that look beautiful and store carbon for life and we manage them to be harvested and replanted so the same plantation continues to produce renewable timber in perpetuity.“Hardwood timber is a product the community love in their homes, it is in high demand for everything from flooring and decking to fencing, furniture and power poles, and it is processed right here on the north coast of NSW, supporting local jobs.”For more information about Forestry Corporation, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au