With the weekend nearly upon us, Lismore City Council is advising residents not to use playgrounds or park equipment for public health reasons.While exercising and visiting parks is permitted under the current COVID-19 restrictions, people are strongly encouraged not use playgrounds or park equipment due to the risk of virus transmission.People are also reminded that National Parks are now closed until further notice and it is not permissible to visit sites such as the Minyon Falls visitor and camping areas.Meanwhile, Council is continuing to monitor parking throughout Lismore city to ensure public safety and access to private property. Maintaining access around the hospital for medical and emergency vehicles is also a high priority for Council Rangers.

Who will feed the homeless in Lismore If the government bring in stricter rules to combat the spread of coronavirus?That’s the question Winsome Soup Kitchen manager Sharon Dwyer asks as she prepares today’s take away meals for local homeless people.“If we all have to stay indoors, who will feed them?” she asks.“Will the government step up and shelter and feed people if we move to a new level of restrictions?“We haven’t heard the government talk about homeless, just businesses and renters not being evicted.”Sharon said even though the Winsome has closed as place to gather, the venue’s commercial kitchen is still making main meals daily and packing them into take away containers to be distributed at 11.30am.“We have a hatch in the wall at the Winsome where people can come and get the food in a bag. They are being called the Winsome show bags,” she laughed.“We cater for vegetarians too – people can have fruit, dessert and a sandwich and if they don’t have cutlery, we give them that too.“We pass the bag through the hatch and encourage people to stay 1.5 metres apart in the line.“We want to keep doing it as long as we can and we will keep discussing what to do when the next level of restrictions comes in.”Winsome president Meike Bell said as well as food relief, the Winsome was also still providing support by giving clothes, toiletries, blankets and tents to people who needed them.“We closed last Wednesday, but because we are still able to provide food, there is less anxiety in our people,” Meike said. “Food security for everybody is important – especially for those sleeping rough.“The outreach services who used the visit can’t come here anymore – like Legal Aid, Centrelink and the doctor. I rang them all last week when we decided to close and they had all done their own risk assessments and decided to stop coming anyway.“Our priority is to protect our volunteers and residents – if we don’t have volunteers, we don’t have a service.”“We’ve had to drop hot teas and coffees off the menu, but we give people a tea bag so they can make a boil water when they get to where they are going.“Winter will be colder and we hope we can still be here to support most vulnerable people who are living on the edge.”Read about how to cope psychologically through the coronavirus pandemic: Dr Desirée Kozlowski: Tiny pleasures can help us through this stressful timeAnglican Church provides emergency foodThe Lismore Food Pantry closed earlier this week, but the Anglican Church stepped up and is providing food relief from the Anglican Church on Zadoc Street, opposite Harvey Norman from 10-11am, Mondays to Fridays.Reverend Alan Shaw said the church will continue to provide the emergency relief of ready made food packages “while we can still sustain it”.“We have limited resources and we don’t get assistance from anywhere,” Rev Shaw said. “It will be until we either run out of food or the government brings in more changes and we are told we can’t do it anymore.“We are also observe social distancing and hygiene measures in handling packaging and distributing food.” 

The challenges of physical distancing have forced universities to reinvent the delivery of subjects. Now Southern Cross University’s Bachelor of Contemporary Music is one of first music degrees in Australia to go online. The degree, offered through the University's Lismore campus, was also one of the first music courses in the country not geared to classical music or jazz.Senior lecturer Dr Matt Hill, said the quick transition to online study provided many challenges, but the team managed to complete the online conversion process in one, very full, week.“Taking an entire degree that was completely face-to-face and delivering it all online has involved a massive effort from all of the staff,” Dr Hill said.“It’s a big job and it’s certainly still a work in progress, but it’s working.” “Obviously good quality audio and vision is important, if you want to play music or demonstrate a technique on drums for example, so getting the technology aspect right is paramount.”The degree includes 13 units, with a mix of lectures and tutorials, some one-on-one lessons on specific instruments, or in song writing, and there are also small and large ensembles and small group lessons on an instrument.“Classes are running 9-5 Monday to Thursday so today, for example, we have 5 classes running at the same time: a lecture in Studies In Western Art and Contemporary Music, a Sound Production tutorial, a workshop in Sound Styles and Culture, a small ensemble and a group guitar lesson,” he said.Most of these classes are happening in real-time through Collaborate Ultra in Blackboard, however the team are also using Zoom and exploring things like Skype and Facetime.“The biggest challenge has been ensuring we’re delivering the same kind of learning outcomes. How do we do pedagogy correctly in an online world? This is where Lisa’s background has been very useful,” he said.“I’m always asking myself questions like, is this engaging for students? Is this still ticking the learning outcomes box?”Dr Hill said he has found the process really engaging.“It’s been an exciting time to reinvent what you do.”There are currently 147 students enrolled in the degree.“We’ve had graduates go on to successful careers in lots of different aspects of the industry," Dr Hill said."We’ve had one win a Grammy, one an Academy Award nominee, another, Scott Aplin, is the musical director for The Voice and quite a lot of graduates go on to do a Master of Teaching and become music teachers.“A lot of our graduates are teaching for the Northern Rivers Conservatorium of Music in Lismore and in schools in the area as well.”The course, offered at both Southern Cross’ Lismore campus, been running since the university began in 1986 Direct applications for mid-year entry are now open for Session 2 begin July 6. For more information see scu.edu.au/study-at-scu/music-and-creative-arts/ . 

Camping and picnic areas in NSW State forests are closed from midday today, Friday, March 27, as part of the public health precaution for Covid-19.Forestry Corporation’s Tourism and Partnerships Manager, Louise Faulkner said this move followed the Government direction.“State forests are popular tourism destinations but unfortunately, right now with the COVID-19 situation, groups of people congregating and using shared facilities is not possible," she said.“Visitor areas including camping areas, picnic areas and public toilets in State forests are closed until further notice.“People currently in these areas are asked to move on and we ask anyone planning on heading to a State forest for camping and picnicking to change their plans."This applies to all State forests in NSW including native forests and pine plantations.Walking tracks in State forests can still be accessed for exercise although it is important that people practice social distancing of 1.5m between individuals as per the public health advice.“We understand this decision will be disappointing for those who love to use our State forests, especially over the Easter break," Louise said."However this year it is simply not possible."The Government’s advice is to avoid all unnecessary travel and so camping and picnicking in State forests is off the cards for the time being.Further information is on the website at www.forestrycorporation.com.au 

UPDATE 5:42We have ended Thursday with five more cases in Northern NSW bringing the total number of cases to 22.A statement released from the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) also gave more detailed information about these cases.The new cases are: Case 18 - currently not residing in Northern NSW LHD, in home isolation Case 19 - in home isolation after returning from overseas Case 20 – in home isolation after returning from overseas Case 21 – in home isolation, source currently being investigated Case 22 – in home isolation, source currently being investigated The Public Health Unit is following up close contacts of cases who are located within NNSWLHD, who are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days from last contact with the confirmed case. They will be contacted daily to check that they are well and anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms will be tested for the virus. If you are considered a close contact of a confirmed case, a Health officer will contact you directly. The cases for NNSWLHD include: 15 overseas acquired cases 2 contacts of a confirmed case/ or in a known cluster 2 contact not identified 3 under investigation – source unknown Of these previous 17 cases, 14 are currently in self-isolation at home and two are in hospital. One person is considered to have recovered. COVID-19/flu clinics are established at The Tweed Hospital, Lismore Base Hospital and Grafton Base Hospital, open from 10am to 6pm daily. These clinics are for those most at risk with respiratory symptoms or fever, those returning from overseas or in contact with a COVID-19 case, or people like our health workers. It is vital that these respiratory clinics are not overwhelmed with people who are not in the high risk groups, which could result in delays identifying those most vulnerable. People without symptoms do not need to be tested. The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, headache, runny nose, or shortness of breath. Anyone with symptoms should isolate themselves from others. For advice and information about COVID-19 visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus.aspx Residents of NSW can also call new the 24-hour COVID-19 hotline on 13 77 88 for advice and support on non-health related enquiries. For health related advice, please continue to liaise with your GP, or phone HealthDirect on 1800 022 222. UPDATE 4:42PMAccording to the NSW Health website the total of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Northern NSW is now 22 bringing the number of new cases for today to five.ORIGINAL STORYFour more cases of coronavirus in our local health district have been confirmed by NSW Health.The new Northern NSW Covid-19 cases have been reported since yesterday, bringing the total number to 21.The NSW Health website lists data according to health district area. The website reported today that the 21 Covid-19 positive cases in Northern NSW were identified out of the 1419 cases tested for the virus in the local areaThe Northern NSW Local Health District is expected to make a statement about the new cases later today.

Rebecca Andre thought home schooling her daughter Poppy would be a nightmare when she considered it a few years ago. But now, she’s enjoying the experience, after deciding to keep Poppy (9) at home this week, rather than send her back to school at St Carthages, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.Rebecca is one of many Lismore parents in a similar situation at the moment, who are entering the brave new world of home schooling their children. “We were waiting for ages for the Prime Minister to talk about schools, but he didn’t, so we took our own action and I decided to keep Poppy at home,” Rebecca said. “If she went to school, she might get coronavirus and bring it back to me. Kids have less boundaries – they lick things and share band-aids and hats and the virus lives outside the body for days. It’s more difficult to protect them from contracting the virus, and the teachers are also at risk of contracting this from our children.“If they were washing hands and testing temperatures every day like in Singapore, I’d send her, but I don’t see any strict guidelines being followed.“There are five kids in Poppy’s Year 4 class still at school. It’s harder for parents who are health workers or retail worker to home school – I knew I could, so I felt a responsibility to do it.”Rebecca said the support and resources from Poppy’s teacher was instrumental in keeping Poppy engaged and studying.“He is a wonderful teacher - I texted him on Sunday and he sent me an interim lesson plan for the week with details of activities to do each day,” Rebecca said. “Without that, I couldn’t think of how to keep her not bored and doing things.“I’ve heard parents say they don’t want to teach the curriculum, that it’s too stressful, but I found it good.“Each morning, we have a family activity. Today, Poppy had to draw a bird, show me and write about it in her journal. I have to participate and make comments.“Tomorrow, she has to make a fun menu and creatively present it and boss me around to cook it. “I feel like I’m playing at teachers, like when I used to boss my brother abound – and I’m going to have to relearn maths again on Friday – I’ll feel like back at school. They do things differently now and don’t learn times tables in Year 3 like I did.”Rebecca said the transition to home schooling for her was an easy one because she already works from home as a virtual office assistant and Poppy’s father is a computer technician. “So, we are set up for online learning and have the computer technology and know-how,” she said. “If someone is not technologically set up, or the internet fails, it could be hard. “Poppy’s teacher is teaching online too and he broadcasts a video of him reading a novel he reads the kids in class, then the kids answer questions.“We also go onto Google classroom activities and print things out, so it’s like Poppy is in class.“We are going great guns at the moment, Poppy struggles a bit and we niggle at each other sometimes, but she’s quite relaxed at home now and she is conscientious about her studies.“It would be so much harder for people living in the cities like London, isolated in tiny apartments, where they can’t even go outside for a walk. Here, we have a yard and veranda and trampoline. “Director of Catholic Schools, Sally Towns, said in a statement to parents that “schools remain open for parents who need to send their children to school”. “For those who choose to keep their children at home, take your time to understand and consider what learning at home will look like for your family. We understand you have a lot on your plate and we all need time to adjust,” Sally said.She also acknowledged that some children might struggle with the transition and encouraged parents to work slowly to encourage their children to learn and make them feel “safe, comforted and loved”.“Children are just as worried as we are right now. Not only can they hear everything that is going on around them, but they can feel our constant tension and anxiety. They have never experienced anything like this before," she said."Normally the idea of being off school for weeks sounds fantastic, but most children know that this situation is not normal and the abrupt changes to all their usual routines and activities will be unsettling.”She also acknowledged that behavioural issues may increase with children.“Whether it’s anxiety, or anger, or protest that they can’t do things normally - it’s a natural response to your child’s changing environment,” she said.For Rebecca and Poppy, it could be the beginning of many months of home schooling while the pandemic plays out across the globe.For information on websites offering free subscriptions due to school restrictions: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/?fbclid=IwAR0cm-Yrc9-L9N7ryWvsYK81aey2ayTYNIncZEOqKyFlSzwuY6rr1t0siXA

The NSW Government has postponed the September local government elections in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.A decision that will please some but also anger others in our community who have been vocally critical of the Lismore City Council in the last three and a half years.The decision to postpone the elections was deemed necessary to ensure the health and safety of voters, NSW Electoral Commission staff and election candidates.It follows Parliament passing amendments to the Local Government Act on Tuesday night to provide the Minister with the power to postpone the elections for 12 months with a possible further extension to 31 December 2021 should the need arise.The ruling means that current Councillors and the Mayor will continue to hold their civic offices until the rescheduled local government elections are held in 2021.If you were going to seek another term in office, this decision will be welcome with open arms but if you were were not going to seek re-election in September, this news is not so good.Mayor Isaac Smith told the Lismore App "I will continue to serve the community to the best of my abilities. I have enjoyed the work and it's challenges". Mayor Smith took up the CEO role of Hart Services late last year, he said the extra twelve months will not be a problem for his new role. "I am finding a better balance as CEO because the time constraints are not as constant as the managers role", he said.Mayor Smith confirmed that if some councillor were to resign within 18 months of an election they will not be replaced. "If they choose to resign in September this will be ok" he said, "This is a personal decision for each individual councillor".The always up front councillor, Nancy Casson confirmed that she wasn't going to run again September but added that September was a little early for her anyway, "there are things I would like to do before I leave" she said.Councillor Eddie Lloyd was of the same opinion as councillor Bill Moorhouse and that is to reassess the situation once the pandemic has settled down and life returns to normal. "I wasn't going to run but I am happy to continue my civic duty" councillor Lloyd said. "Our community is going through a l great deal right now and I swore to serve so thick and thin", she added."As we get closer to September 2020 I'll reassess my position and make a final decision about the following year".Councillor Bill Moorhouse echoed those thoughts, "I'll make a decision after the pandemic, I'm playing everything one week at a time", he said.The postponement of the elections will not change the future schedule of council elections, and the subsequent elections will still proceed in September 2024.This was something that angered Councillor Casson. "The problem with this announcement is that it disadvantages independent candidates", she said, "It costs a lot of money to run as an Independent. It's fine if you belong to a major political party as they'll support your costs but it's not fair to independents that have to find more money three years later".NSW Parliament has also enacted legislation to allow councils to hold meetings and briefings electronically instead of physically. Virtual meetings will be held for the next six months with an extension to 12 months if necessary.Council will provide further information once revised meeting procedures have been developed and technology tested for these interim virtual meetings. All Council meetings will continue to be live-streamed on Lismore City Council’s website at www.lismore.nsw.gov.auMeanwhile, Council’s public safety and compliance staff will continue to support local business owners on how to comply with the new COVID-19 restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday night.It is critical that businesses adapt their operations under the new restrictions to comply with social distancing and public health standards.Any businesses that are unsure of how to operate takeaway and delivery services in light of the new restrictions can phone Council for assistance on 1300 87 83 87.The NSW Government has launched a 24-hour hotline for workers and businesses to access a range of advice and support on non health-related COVID-19 enquiries. Phone Service NSW on 13 77 88.COVID-19 Information and UpdatesCouncil has launched a COVID-19 information page with the latest information and advice about changes to Council facilities and services. The page contains important links to useful websites and fact sheets on assistance for residents and businesses. Residents can ask staff questions online via the Q&A function, view ongoing news updates and join the community forum to share stories and experiences. To view the page, visit: yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au. 

Lismore’s Centre Church pastor Rebekka Battista said she lets faith rule, not fear.While church doors across the country have been forced to close under the government’s plan to stop the spread of coronavirus, Rebekka said the Centre Church has taken delivering sermons online.The Centre Church is one of many organisations taking services online, including the Generation Go Church and the Anglican Church.Pastor Rebekka Battista giving a sermon at the Centre Church in Lismore.In these unusual times of physical distancing and social isolation, filled with change and uncertainty, Rebekka said people should switch off things that feed our fear and fill those spaces with things that don’t fill fear.“Turn the TV off, read a book, take a walk and limit your online time,” she said. “Make sure the words you put out there are kind – if you are at the supermarket, remember the retail workforce is working hard and people are doing their best to keep the community safe.“And love thy neighbour at 1.5 metres away.”Rebekka said the Centre Church did their first live stream of services on Sunday.“It was pretty amazing,” she said. “As a church we’ve never thought about it but we have creative TV and IT people who have pulled it together fast.“We had our congregation sitting at home in their pyjamas and singing worship and sending pictures if their families watching the services to our closed Facebook group.“Lots of churches across Australia are already streaming and are sharing knowledge and information to help others get online and stream.“Technology keeps us connected, even though we are forced to separate physically. As pastors, we can reach out to everyone, connect and help people through this and walk along the journey with them.”Rebekka said the Centre Church’s youth group - Hearts Youth - has also gone online and about 80 young people are already streaming their regular Friday night meeting and can be found on Youtube.“We need a way to give hugs when online,” Rebekka said. “Maybe we can create a Lismore hug where we all go online and hug Lismore.“We are a community that is filled with love and we want to make sure we love our neighbours and leave no one out.”You can find details of when church services are streamed by visiting Centre Church Lismore’s Facebook page, or visit the centre Church website https://www.centrechurch.org.au/ where updated details will be posted.

Since the government restrictions came into place on Monday life has changed a great deal for all of our small business owners.As I reported in our stories about cafe's and restaurants (Local cafés need our help , How are our restaurants doing without seating?) all are doing it tough right now. All are just trying to earn enough money to pay the rent and keep as many staff as possible until the coronavirus disease is brought under control and life returns to some form of normality.The tighter restrictions on public gatherings is making it tough now for all retailers in our community who are reporting that business is down by 40-50%.Part of the reason we started the Lismore App was to provide free news and information and to help the community, to give back especially when times are hard.To that end, we have launched a new button on the main page called Takeaway/Home Delivery. You can't miss it, it has a yellow background!This is where we have put businesses that are providing takeaway meals or coffees as well as some that are delivering meals to your home.This is not restricted to food but also includes retail stores where you can shop on-line and they will deliver.Now, I know we have not got all of the businesses that you love on the button as yet. As you can appreciate this takes time but we will continue to add new businesses each day. Please help by letting us know what we have missed and what you would like via email (simon@lismoreapp.com.au) or via Facebook.The next step is up to you, our readers of the Lismore App.You have the power to keep these businesses open now and into the future. Please, please use the button and purchase food, coffee, bedding, towels, entertainment, soil and more.The Lismore App wants to remind you to support local businesses at this time. Your patronage keeps the doors open and protects the livelihoods of people in our community.

The recreation facilities at Rocky Creek Dam are closed to the public, from today Thursday, March 26. Rous County Council closed the facilities in response to the Australian Government’s advice that non-essential travel should be minimised and for the safety of our staff who continue to work at the Dam. As the region’s bulk water supplier, Rous County Council’s priority is to continue to deliver safe and reliable drinking water to residents and businesses while maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for our employees. Our water treatment plants and trunk water main network continue to operate normally and provide bulk drinking water to the region. Rous County Council thanks the community for their understanding. 

The community of Gundurimba in Lismore is excited that a new playground and outdoor community area is on the cards to be built this year. Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive and Wiradjuri Ngemba woman Roxanne Smith said it was thanks to two funding grants that the Ngahri Wa Jarjum, ‘children’s playground’ project would be able to go ahead. “We are going to buy lovely equipment for the community at Gundurimba,” she said.“We already have a derelict playground there and a large number of young children and we want to give them something good.“We got a small sum of money from the Northern Rivers Community Fund earlier this year and we’re combining it with the grant money from the State Government we just received to do the project.”The Land Council recently received a grant of $39,353 from the NSW Government’s 2019 Community Building Partnership Program. It was one of 20 successful projects to receive funding in the local area. “We want to create a good place for our community which includes a BBQ area and gathering place where the community can get together," Ms Smith said.Ms Smith said the existing community land and business plan had already outlined the need for better play equipment on the land.“We’re not sure when it will be able to be built because of the coronavirus situation at the moment though," she said. "I guess it depends on the rest of the world at the moment as to when it happens."Another one of the successful grant recipients in the 2019 Community Building Partnership Program was South Gundurimba Hall Incorporated, which received $6500 for hall repair and maintenance. State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said the two worthy projects were chosen out of 60 applicants and “spreading grassroots funding is a good way of providing practical support”.“We are heading into an autumn and winter season, with the added challenges of COVID-19, and on the other side of this period, local communities will be looking to recover,” she said.

Yesterday afternoon we heard that the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) confirmed coronavirus cases more than doubled from 7 to 17. The numbers alone were a surprising jump and raised more questions than answers.One of those questions was where is our local information on confirmed cases?When you visit the Australian Government Health and the NSW Health websites you can get information on the age, sex and where a person had contracted coronavirus such as overseas, person to person or still under investigation.The press release from NNSWLHD said “10 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed within the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) since our last update, bringing the District’s total to 17 cases. The Public Health Unit is in the process of contacting close contacts, and investigations are underway to determine the sources of these cases“.No further information or details was forthcoming.The NNSWLHD covers an area from Grafton to Tweed Heads, a large area.So where are these 17 cases exactly? Grafton? Lismore? Ballina? Nimbin? Tweed Heads?Chief Executive of NNSWLHD, Wayne Jones told the Lismore App that this was done as a deliberate strategy because the numbers were so low."This wasn't about hiding the facts, I didn't want people to get complacent with good hygiene practices because there were no cases in their neighbourhood", Mr Jones said. "It is imperative that people operate with the mindset that there is a case close by", he went on to say.As the case numbers are now increasing the amount of information will be more forthcoming according to Mr Jones. "I can tell you that the cases are in the Clarence Shire, the Byron Shire, The Tweed Shire and the Richmond Shire", he said, "I am expecting a steady increase in numbers in the coming days", he added.The NNSW Health District will be working with other agencies such as Police and Ambulance providing them with information so they can monitor the self isolation of those involved as well as monitor people that may have come into contact with those infected people.This morning the Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian asked all people in NSW to help monitor the stricter public gathering regulations that were mentioned by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison last night. This involves using the Crime Stoppers number 1800 333 000 or this link on the Crime Stoppers website https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/cs.aspx.An example of a circumstance to make a report would be a gathering of over 10 people such as a party.For residents in the 2480 postcode it is now about balancing our need to support our local businesses as well as following the guidelines set-out by the Prime Minister on staying home as much as you can. We need to continue to be aware of social distancing and the practice of good and regular hygiene.The Lismore App wants to remind you to support local businesses at this time. Your patronage keeps the doors open and protects the livelihoods of people in our community.

On Monday, we looked at our local cafés and how they were faring in these coronavirus times.Yesterday, it was a walk around the CBD to look at our restaurants. Unfortunately, the news was not so good for some.The 'closed until further notice' signs were out the front of a few restaurants like Uncle Lim, La Casita and Mandarin Palace.That is more sad news for the owners of these and other restaurants that have been forced to close due to the understandable restrictions placed on in-store dining.Others have moved to their only other option, take-away.The sign in this story heading is from Fire In The Belly who make gourmet pizza's in Dawson Street. Matt has said that they are still open Thursday to Saturday between 5pm and 8pm for take-away pizza's. They will even bring it out to your car!Anthony at Lanna Pad Thai has set his restaurant up like it is during the Lantern Parade which is serving from the front of the store.Flavour of India on Keen Street have emptied their shop of tables and chairs making it look bare but don't let that fool you they are open for take-aways and have started deliveries throughout Lismore, Goonellabah and Caniaba.Outside of restaurants, the Book Warehouse has also started deliveries. You can ring, order a book and get it delivered while you and/or your family spend more time at home.Living Entertainment, also on Keen Street, have seen more people use their on-line service rather than go in-store. They will also deliver.Once again, the big concern talking to business owners is that trade will down 45-50%.The biggest concerns they have right now is doing enough business so they can pay rent and keep staff.This is where you come in.We know everyone wants to not lose any more businesses in the CBD so the only way some are going to survive is if we support them.Head to the CBD and get some take-away for lunch or order take-away on the phone and pick-up or some will deliver.The Lismore App is about 'Everything Lismore' in the 2480 postcode. We really do care about supporting local businesses so look out for a Take-away/HomeDelivery button on the front page to make ordering your food or entertainment or home goods easy in the coming days.The Lismore App wants to remind you to support local businesses at this time. Your patronage keeps the doors open and protects the livelihoods of people in our community.

If you are at home, not working or have time on your hands - and you are not in self-isolation, maybe you can become a much needed volunteer in the Lismore community.There is currently a shortage of community drivers and volunteers for health services in the region and your support is needed to ensure the Lismore region makes it through this crisis together.Drivers are now needed to help patients such as those who require transport for kidney dialysis. Home Assistance and Regional Transport (HART) Services has vacancies for medical transport drivers, social support workers, client assistants and gardeners. If you are interested, you can phone 6628 8572 or fill in the volunteer form on the HART website http://www.hartservices.org.au/index.php/volunteersThe Red Cross is also looking for volunteers from our strong and caring community, for a range of support roles to ensure continued delivery of services during the COVID-19 crisis. To find out more, visit https://www.redcross.org.au/volunteer

Early morning shopping hours at the supermarkets just got extended to healthcare and emergency services workers.Starting tomorrow, Coles will begin a shopping hour from 7-8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays for people deemed essential to protecting the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.This includes doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospital and ambulance staff, police, firefighters and emergency service workers who hold an AHPRA card, have a workplace ID or are wearing their work uniform. Coles have also said these arrangements will be reviewed as necessary.Monday, Wednesday and Friday Coles’ community hours are for vulnerable and elderly customers who hold a government-issued Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Companion Card, Seniors Card, Disability Card and Health Care Card. Coles is open 7am to 8pm every day.Woolworths also has a dedicated shopping hour for the elderly and people with disability from 7am to 8am from Tuesday to Friday.Aldi stores have new trading hours of 9.30am-7pm, which will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis.Social distancing is under way in all stores, with markers placed on the floors to keep customers 1.5 metres apart. 

Good Morning!A lot of you have the Push Notification setting turned on for the Lismore App on your mobile phone enabling you to be notified of our important news stories immediately. This has been more important in recent weeks because of the coronavirus.You would have noticed two or three messages being received at once in the last two days, this is an error. We are working on a solution and hope to have it fixed very soon.Please bear with us.Thank you for your patience and thank you for using the Lismore App as your local news source.Remember....buy local.

Numbers of coronavirus are on the increase, with 10 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed within the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD). The District’s total now stands at 17 cases. The Public Health Unit is in the process of contacting close contacts, and investigations are underway to determine the sources of these cases. The confirmed cases to date are spread across the length of the Local Health District, from Clarence right up to the Tweed Valley. NNSWLHD chief executive Wayne Jones said “we’d like to thank those who have been cooperating with our Public Health Officers to date, working with our staff and self-isolating correctly at home”. “We can’t emphasise enough how important it is for all our community to heed the advice of authorities in efforts to slow the transmission of the virus,” he said.“It’s critical to adhere to self-isolation guidelines if you’ve been instructed by health authorities or mandated to quarantine as a result of overseas travel.”Advice for general members of the public is to practise good hygiene - hand washing or sanitising, and coughing/sneezing into a tissue which you then discard; stay at home if you’re sick; and minimise close contact with others by following the social distancing measures. “It’s also important to remember that locations where cases live, work or have visited don’t pose an ongoing risk to members of the public,” Mr Jones said.“If you are considered a close contact of a confirmed case, a Health officer will contact you directly.” Elective surgeries postponed as hospitals prepare for pandemicCOVID-19/flu clinics COVID-19/flu clinics are established at The Tweed Hospital, Lismore Base Hospital and Grafton Base Hospital, open from 10am to 6pm daily. These clinics are for those most at risk with respiratory symptoms or fever, those returning from overseas or in contact with a COVID-19 case, or people like our health workers. It is vital that these respiratory clinics are not overwhelmed with people who are not in the high risk groups, which could result in delays identifying those most vulnerable. People without symptoms do not need to be tested. The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, headache, runny nose, or shortness of breath. Anyone with symptoms should isolate themselves from others. Identification and isolation of contacts is a critical measure that limits the spread of COVID-19. Compliance with self-isolation by all contacts and returned travellers is essential. When social distancing actions are combined with good personal hygiene measures the spread of an epidemic through the community can be slowed.This helps protect the most vulnerable members of the community. It also reduces the impact of the epidemic on essential, life-saving health services by reducing the size of the peak of the epidemic so health services can continue to provide high quality care to all patients. Everybody must play their part. For advice and information about COVID-19 visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus.aspx 

In what is being described an “unprecedented situation”, non-urgent elective surgery will be postponed from March 25 in local hospitals across the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD).NNSWLHD chief executive today announced the decision as the District upscales its level of preparedness for COVID-19, with moves underway to double intensive care capacity across the state. “As with other NSW Health services, hospitals are activating plans to manage elective surgery lists as the system responds to the COVID-19 pandemic and its likely convergence with the upcoming winter flu season,” Mr Jones said. “We have been planning for weeks and adjusting our response according to our increasing knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 and the constant emerging evidence about its clinical management. “A key component of our planning is to ensure patients with the highest clinical urgency are prioritised, such as emergency and trauma patients and urgent surgery cases.“Our focus is on bringing forward urgent, and where clinically required, semi-urgent, elective surgery cases to reduce any possible surgical demand across the LHD. “This will free up our other clinicians, nurses, support staff and sites to be available to respond to COVID-19 cases as needed.”Mr Jones said patients on waiting lists will be contacted over the coming days to communicate any changes to their admission. “While any disruption is regrettable, we trust the community will understand,” he said.“This is an unprecedented situation, and we are continually monitoring demand and capacity of all health services across the NNSWLHD.”Lismore Base Hospital asks for your helpLocal health authority confirms two new cases of Covid-19

So, you can’t get to the gym or your yoga class because the government has forced fitness facilities to close because of the coronavirus pandemic – but staying at home doesn’t mean you have to give up being active.A number of Lismore businesses are transitioning to online delivery of classes with some gym and yoga classes being freely offered up to the community.Summit Sport and Fitness Centre Matt George from Summit Sport and Fitness Centre in Goonellabah said he saw the inevitable closure coming a week ago and centre staff had been busy filming classes while they were still open.“It came quicker than we thought,” Matt said. “We are being forced to reinvent ourselves and push into the digital age. Going online is a new thing for us, but we have a library of classes we can call on, as well as live classes we will stream online too.”Matt said some of the classes will be available for free to the general public, and others will be available to Summit members only.“We offer free to everyone pilates, yoga, HIT and stretch classes, but people who take out an $10 weekly online membership with us will also get access to 800 Les Mills class workouts,” he said.“We are also hiring out our weights and yoga equipment to members so they can do classes at home – but we have a limited amount of those.”Matt said staying connected is a big part of the role of social gathering places such as fitness facilities.“So, we’ll be doing a live check in with the community every Wednesday at 11.30am where we can all have a chat and know how we are going. It’s not just about keeping moving, but looking after our physical and mental health - we know how closely related they are.“We understand and respect that people need to keep physical distancing, but it doesn’t mean social distancing too.”Matt said it’s going to be tough for the gym staff who’ve effectively lost their jobs overnight, but he hopes that enough people will take up the online memberships to keep the business running.As far as the government subsidies on offer to help businesses affected by the forced closures and changes, Matt said he’s not sure how they will help him.“We know the first round of subsidies announced will help us pay staff on the books, but we don’t understand how it will help us after the doors were closed,” he said.“We’ll wait and see in the next few months what will happen. We knew gyms and cinemas would be on the chopping block because they are meeting and social places. It hurts business, but I know the government is doing the right thing and we encourage all other businesses to do the right thing, shut the doors and stop looking for loopholes to stay open.“The community has supported our family owned business over the last 18 years – and we know that’s the reason we will bounce back strongly.”The first free community online yoga class is tonight at 5.30pm. For information about ow to access free classes and memberships, find Summit Sport and Fitness on Facebook, or visit https://www.summitcentre.com.au/Lismore Yoga StudioLismore Yoga Studio owner Julie Hodges is also ready to start delivering classes online.Julie said she was ready to take the challenge of this “brave new world” after a bit of mentoring from other supportive Iyengar teachers in how to go about it.Her first online class is today and she already has people signed up for it.“The idea is to teach the class live so I can talk to the students, look at them, talk to them and adjust them,” she said. “They just need to make sure they have what they need – space, a wall, a mat and some props and they can talk to me as well.“It’s all about creating a sense of community and connection as well as keeping up the yoga practice – especially if this looks like its going to go on for a while.”If you are keen to join in Julie’s classes, you can book online and pay, but you’ll also need to email her to get a link to the online class. You can email julie@lismoreyogastudio.com.au or visit https://lismoreyogastudio.com.au/Kundalini YogaSiri Shakti has been teaching Kundalini Yoga and offering sound baths at Mandala Garden Yoga and Wellness in Lismore.She is already online, offering meditation and yoga classes to the public to people who register for her classes.She’s also been using Facebook Live to deliver free short classes and meditations to build resilience and invites people to join in with her. Her first Facebook Live since face to face classes stopped was this morning and she’s keen to keep them going from the Mandala Garden studio.If you are keen to join in with Siri Shakti’s classes, you can email sirishaktiyoga2@gmail.com or visit https://sirishaktiyoga.com.au/, or look for her on Facebook.