"After much deliberation I need to inform you that the Lismore & Villages Relay for Life scheduled for the 28th and 29th March has been postponed due the current health situation surrounding covid-19".This was the expected message that has become official from Leanne Thompson, the Chairperson for Lismore & Villages Relay For Life.At least it is not cancelled, so the many teams that have registered, trained and raised much needed funds for the Cancer Council will have the opportunity to complete their 18 hour walk, which will now be later in the year.Leanne told The Lismore App, "we are just waiting on confirmation from Southern Cross University, then we can release a date in the coming weeks".The major raffle draw that will be drawn on Sunday March 29 will still be drawn in line with Government regulations.First prize is a Toyota Yaris valued at $19,965 from Lismore Toyota. You still have time to enter with tickets available on-line, at Lismore Square or outside of Woolies in Goonellabah this Friday (March 20) and next Friday (March 27).Relay For Life

Night time tennis is about to get easier at East Lismore Tennis Club, after the club received funding to upgrade the court lighting.With a Federal Government grant of $20,000 and an additional $40,000 from the tennis club, the existing lights will be upgraded to LED. Currently the lighting is patchy and it’s difficult for players to see. Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said the old flood lights caused issues for neighbours, who had lights shining into their yards and houses. “High participation rates and a great network of juniors allows competitions to be played five days a week,” Mr Hogan said. “It was great to join members of the East Lismore Tennis Club to announce funding for this project. “Converting to LED court lighting will provide a better playing atmosphere and will save power bills for the club.” “Participation numbers are expected to exceed 400 this year. This upgrade will ensure growth continues.”

Regional libraries will close for two weeks as Member Councils of Richmond Tweed Regional Library take a proactive response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.Regional Library Manger Jo Carmody said the decision to temporarily close all Richmond Tweed Regional Library branches from tomorrow as a preventative measure will support the health and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and the community.Library branches in Lismore City, Ballina, Byron and Tweed Shires, including the Mobile Library, will be closed for two weeks, with the closure reviewed on a week-by-week basis after that.“Councils made this decision as Council has a duty of care to its staff, library users and the community,” Ms Carmody said.The libraries have almost 30,000 visits per week with some of the bigger branches seeing visitor numbers in excess of 600 people per day.Jo stressed that no staff member at any of the libraries had been diagnosed with Coronavirus.“Council has decided that with our high visitor numbers that closing all branches was a precautionary measure aimed at protecting staff, library users and slowing the spread of the virus within the community,” she said.The eLibrary is open with access to books, magazines and audiobooks in downloadable digital formats from the RTRL website or Library App. Any renewals will now be for a six-week period rather than the normal three-week renewal period. Renewals can be made on the website, Library App or by phoning the library.Staff will continue to work during the closures on behind the scenes projects and will be available via phone to answer any library questions, renew items or assist with access to the online eLibrary.

After two cases of coronavirus were confirmed yesterday in the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD), local health authorities are preparing to respond to the health impacts of the virus.Read more: Two COVID-19 confirmed cases in local health districtNNSWLHD chief executive Wayne Jones said elective surgeries were not cancelled, but being reviewed and that “all facilities are planning for a potential increase in presentations of people with respiratory illness over the coming weeks and months, and we’re working with NSW Health to maximise available critical care resources.”Mr Jones said COVID-19/flu clinics are established at Lismore Base Hospital and The Tweed Hospital. “The purpose of these clinics is for people who have respiratory symptoms or fever and who are at risk of COVID-19, for example because they were in contact with a COVID-19 case, or have returned from overseas in the 14 days before onset of symptoms,” he said.“The clinics are open from 10am to 6pm seven days a week at this stage. “People do not need to call ahead to attend these clinics, but if attending an Emergency Department outside these hours, or attending your GP, please phone ahead.“NNSWLHD and North Coast Primary Health Network are sharing information with primary health providers and providing advice and support around testing and ongoing monitoring, as well as conducting daily briefings, and conducting cross-border collaboration with our Queensland Health counterparts. “Our Public Health Unit is also monitoring and following up suspected cases, and contacting close contacts if required.”In line with other public hospitals in NSW, the NNSWLHD will double the Intensive Care Unit capacity in hospitals in Northern NSW to prepare for a significant increase in respiratory presentations to the Emergency Department. “We have not cancelled elective surgery, but are reviewing the need to bring some cases forward, particularly those which may require Intensive Care support, in light of the expected increase in demand for ICU services in the coming weeks. “We’ll continue to monitor our elective surgery lists and make decisions based on the best advice and forward planning scenarios. “We are holding regular weekly staff forums to update staff and clinicians on the latest information and health precautions, and providing additional updates as the situation unfolds. We are providing support to staff in our health facilities, ensuring they follow appropriate infection “control measures, hand hygiene and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (including masks) in addition to standard precautions. “We are providing information and support to staff in forward planning and managing any leave issues that may arise. We are exploring opportunities to source additional and back up staff, in the event that more health “workers are required to assist with medical and nursing care. “Public health measures, such as early case identification and contact tracing, are designed to limit the impact of epidemics and pandemics, by flattening the curve of peak case numbers and lessen the number of people requiring health care during periods of highest demand. “We encourage members of the public to continue with hand-washing and social distancing, and to remain alert to any changing advice from health authorities. “The health response is evolving as the situation unfolds, and as more is learnt about COVID-19.”The NSW Health website contains the most up to date information for the public and health professionals https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus.aspx You can also call the national Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.The Lismore App has a dedicated section where you can also find information about Coronavirus

As most people would have expected there are more cancellations and postponements to local events over night and this morning.The annual Gemfest event on at the Lismore Showgrounds has been cancelled for 2020.This is a shame for for organisers as Gemfest was celebrating its 30th year.In a statement on their facebook page, Gemfest said the following;"Due to increased public concern, to protect the health of stakeholders and visitors, and in response to the Prime Minister and COAG’s direction that all organised mass gathering over 500 people to be cancelled, The Lismore Gemfest is cancelled. It is distressing and disappointing to cancel Lismore Gemfest 2020. There are many people who will be very upset by this decision, and this is the first time the Lismore Gemfest has been cancelled.The safety and well-being of our patrons and visitors is paramount and out of precaution, and in consultation with NSW Health, The Lismore Gem & Lapiday Club Inc. has decided this is the best course of action. We appreciate that the cancellation of the Lismore Gemfest is a huge disappointment for our Gem community, particularly exhibitors and visitors from rural and regional NSW who love attending the Show to catch up with friends each year. To our trader's please bare with us as we sort out refunds.We appreciate your understanding and patience as our team works through the logistics and issues that come with cancelling an event of this scale.Our wonderful sponsor Thank You for you support and hope the support continuesWe hope everyone will join us at Lismore Gemfest 15th & 16th 2021".Educating Rita was to be the first stage production of the new season for the Rochdale Theatre starting in three days time, have postponed the season to date to be advised.Publicity Officer Jenny Dowell said "As you can imagine, we are very disappointed but we believe we must listen to advice from medical professionals, care about others and limit everyone’s exposure to potential risk. We assure audiences that Educating Rita will still be our first show of 2020- it will just be a little later than we’d planned. We will announce new dates as soon as possible.We appreciate the ongoing support we receive from our community and look forward to your continued patronage in safer times".Last night promoter David Lander of the Lismore Speedway suspended all future events until further notice. David told the Lismore App "I would hope to conduct the remaining meetings after March for our season, but right now there is no guarantee that will happen". Coronavirus sees Lismore Speedway racing suspended indefinitelyMeeting this week to confirm postponements or cancellations is Relay For Life and the iconic Lismore Lantern Parade.The Lismore App has a Coronavirus button which gives you direct and easy access to the NSW Health website as well as a list of postponed or cancelled events Coronavirus.

Crowd numbers were significantly down at this year’s Lismore Eat the Street on Saturday, but organiser Lismore City Council’s tourism and events officer Mitch Lowe said those who came “had a wonderful time”.The impact of coronavirus made itself felt as only 8400 attended this year’s event, compared to 25,000 last year.“The weather was great and people didn’t have to wait as long to line up for food,” Mitch said. “And there were plenty of places to sit, which made it a good experience for those who attended.”Mitch said as well as the event being a great thing for the local community, food providers were happy the event still went ahead and ran smoothly.“Especially when we are facing a time of great uncertainty with any events of over 500 people not proceeding as of today,” Mitch said.As well as providing six hand washing stations with hand sanitiser throughout the site (which were well used by patrons), Mitch said there had been increased wiping down of the site and cleaning procedures.“These measures we put into place to improve health and safety are strategies are ones we should have with gatherings of large numbers of people in any year,” he said.

Regional and rural Community Hall representatives have until this Friday, March 20 to apply for extra funding though the Essential Energy Community Halls Program. The Program has been running for around 10 years and recognises that Community Halls are often at the heart of a local community and provide a place for people to come together. Hall representatives can apply for a $200 payment and any Community Halls that may have been damaged by bushfires are also encouraged to apply for consideration for additional support. Country Energy Operations Manage, Paul McWilliam said “this is part of what we do to help the local communities, that we live and work in ourselves”.“Previous recipients have told us that this money has helped them continue the important role the halls play in their local communities,” he said.“With many in our community doing it tough this year with drought and then fires, these halls are as important as ever, and we really encourage all eligible Community Halls to apply.” You can apply online at Essential Energy’s website www.essentialenergy.com.au or by phoning 13 23 91. Applications close 5pm, Friday March 20, 2020. 

Two cases of COVID-19 in NSW have been confirmed in the Northern NSW Local Health District. North Coast Public Health Unit acting director Dr Jane Jelfs said contacts from the two local cases are being followed up by the North Coast Public Health Unit. “Both cases were acquired overseas, and were not the result of local community transmission,” Dr Jelfs said.“Anyone who is considered at risk of developing symptoms due to contact with these cases will be notified directly.“Of the two cases, one person is self-isolating, and the other is being cared for in hospital. “We encourage members of the public to continue to practice good hygiene, including hand-washing and social distancing, and to remain alert to any changing advice from health authorities.”There are currently two confirmed cases of the virus in Northern NSW and COVID-19/flu clinics have been established at Lismore Base Hospital and The Tweed Hospital. The purpose of these clinics is for people who have respiratory symptoms or fever and who are at risk of COVID-19, if they have been in contact with a COVID-19 case, or have returned from overseas in the 14 days before onset of symptoms. “Since the situation is changing daily, we’ll be monitoring the ongoing need for these measures, and they’ll be available according to demand,” Dr Jelfs said.NSW Health is recommending people with acute, cold, flu-like symptoms who are returned travellers, or a contact of a confirmed case, be tested for COVID-19. Testing is recommended for all returning overseas travellers who develop symptoms within 14 days of return, contacts of cases who develop symptoms, people admitted to hospital with severe respiratory infection irrespective of travel history, other special circumstances such as where there is an outbreak of respiratory infections without an identified cause such as flu. Samples for testing can be taken directly by some GPs or at a range of private pathology sites across the state that are suitable for collection of COVID-19, or at public hospitals across NSW. The Lismore App has a created a section on Coronavirus where you can access easy to find information about the virus and available services to help.Read More: Coronavirus - what is happening to our local events?

UPDATE:2:24 PMBluesfest cancelledBeef Week postponed.UPDATE 11:58amUlysses AGM that was to be held at the Lismore Showgrounds from May 4-10 has been cancelled.Event organiser Ron Gaudron has told the Lismore App the AGM will return to Lismore in either 2022 or 2023.As we heard late on Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the country that the Australian Federal Government is recommending the cancellation of non-essential organised events for 500 people or more from Monday, under advice from the Australia's Chief Medical Officer.Major public events are being cancelled or postponed throughout the country like the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne and Hobart's Dark Mofo festival which draws crowds of 100,000 people while the NRL, AFL and FFA (soccer) look likely to playing behind closed doors at best or postpone the season.Other musicians throughout the world have postponed concerts by some of the worlds biggest stars like Miley Cyrus and Michael Bublé and Robbie Williams. Even Disneyland has been closed only for the fourth time in history and Sydney's Royal Easter Show for the third time in history (Spanish Flu pandemic, Great Depression and now Coronavirus).So, what does this means for our local events in the 2480 postcode?There are quite a few urgent meetings happening this week to determine the fate of these upcoming events.Relay For Life which was planned for Saturday March 28 and Sunday March 29 put out an email yesterday stating "The executive team at the CCNSW are in the process of assessing each up-coming event and determining an outcome for each in order of priority and event date. I have at this stage not been informed of a official decision on our RFL event but am aware the RFL Orange scheduled for yesterday was postponed".We will hear a decision about this event in the coming days.Next is Gemfest that is scheduled for May 16 & 17 at the Lismore Showgrounds. Vice President Jenny Vyrenhoek told the Lismore App that a meeting will be held tonight but it looks likely the event will be cancelled not postponed.Good news from the iconic Lismore Lantern Parade team with Jyllie Jackson saying that the event will be postponed and not cancelled. This does need to be ratified at a board meeting on Wednesday afternoon so a definite result will follow on Thursday.With other crowd based events being cancelled this is hurting the Lantern Parade's fundraising efforts so the immediate survival of the Lantern Parade itself is in jeopardy. As a community we will have the chance to help Jyllie and her team raise funds to keep this amazing organisation and the Lantern Parade on our calendar. More to come on this.The term "non-essential" means that schools and universities will not be affected. Locally, Trinity Catholic College Lismore has about 1000 students while St John's College, Woodlawn has around 780 students.In a letter to parents on Friday Trinity has outlined the measures they are undertaking to their day to day procedures like the cancellation of assemblies and any inter school sporting events.Any students returning from over seas travel will need to be in self isolation upon their return to the Northern Rivers.Remember, the best way to not catch the coronavirus is to practice good hygiene which includes regular hand washing and the use of hand sanitiser when you leave the house.The Lismore Base Hospital has opened a Fever Clinic operating from 10am to 6pm. So, if you have flu like symptoms such as a sore throat, temperature and cough you can report to the clinic where you will be advised what to do next.If you are going to your GP because of the same symptoms please ring ahead and let the receptionist know. Upon arrival a Doctor will come to your car to advise you. If you go into your GP's surgery you risk infecting other patients and potentially closing the clinic down for two weeks.Keep in mind there is an influenza A virus spreading through the community right now. If you show symptoms don't panic that it is coronavirus, there are no confirmed cases in the Northern Rivers as I write. Follow the above procedure.If you are unwell then practice self isolation, keep the kids home from school and day-care and ask family and friends to help with your daily chores.While at home hand wash regularly and use hand sanitiser where possible.

Goonellabah residents would have seen a new sign just before the Rous Road/Oliver Avenue roundabout over the weekend with diversion signs also in place.The reason is the Rous Road will be closed for traffic between Hamley Road and McIntosh Road until this Saturday March 21 due to maintenance on over hanging trees. Skyline Road will remain open.(The road closure between Hamley Road and McIntosh Road in dark purple and the diversion route in light purple)Other road works this week include;The ongoing widening of Bangalow Road and road re-construction Stage 2 which is 1km north of the Eltham turnoff. One lane will be open so expect delays.Wilson Street, South LismoreWater main replacement work in Park Road and Hudson Avenue, East LismoreDiadem Street between Laurel Avenue and Orion StreetTown Bridge, Town Road (off Terania Creek Road) The Channon.For a complete list push on the link for the Northern Rivers MyRoad Info website https://northernrivers.myroadinfo.com.au/council.asp?id=3

The sun is shining, the music is playing and plenty of people are enjoying some amazing food at this year's Norco Eat The Street.If these early crowds photos are any indication of what the afternoon and evening sessions will be like then it will be another hugely successful event.As for the food on offer, take a look.There were some concerns from a few people about coronavirus but that did not stop them from coming into the CBD to support one of Lismore's iconic events.Maryanne, Cathy and Edda have adopted the no hugging and kissing policy but did say that they wanted to support Eat The Street. "This is my best time so far", Edda said, "it is about coming together with community"Heath and Kirsty Wilson have ventured down from Kingscliff for the day with the kids. "We came two years ago and thought it was time to come back", Heath told the Lismore App, "we were a little concerned about coronavirus but not enough to bring the family down for a day out".When you arrive at this year's Eat The Street look out for these strategically placed hand washing stations.Remember, good hygiene is the way to beat any virus from spreading. At the moment the only virus we have in our community is influenza A.Conditions could not be more perfect, come down and support your local community.

Friends of the Koala have been working with landowners to ensure our koala population have a safe place to live. There is a section of land at Monaltrie/Wyrallah that has an abundance of koalas, but not enough food trees. This has resulted in koalas spending more time on the ground and crossing roads, bringing them in to contact with cattle, dogs and motor vehicles. Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said they want to create a safe corridor, so koalas can move safely. “It was great to join members of Friends of the Koala and Monaltrie Landcare to announce $20,000 for an important project,” Mr Hogan said. “These community groups will install wildlife friendly fencing, remove woody weeds and plant local natives.” “It is essential to exclude cattle when restoring wildlife corridors. This is often the most expensive part of the process.” “Infra-red sensor cameras will be used to monitor feral dogs to ensure there is no impact to koala numbers.” “This project will be focussing on areas that have the best regeneration potential. It will avoid areas prone to erosion to stop sedimentation in the river.” “This land is great as the river acts as a natural barrier for wildlife that are harmful to koalas.” 

This edition of the Weekend Wrap is a little late because of a late LCC meeting about one of Lismore's most iconic events.Under an hour ago it has been given the green light to go ahead for tomorrow. You should know it by now, Norco Eat The Street.The annual food festival kicks off at midday tomorrow and running all day until 9pm with a host of activities planned to keep you entertained as well as some amazing food to be served.The BOM is sticking with their forecast of 0-1mm of rain tomorrow so the weather will not be an issue. A comfortable top of 26 is forecast.For more information and the full rundown go to the Eat The Street button (Eat The Street 2020) then take it with you on the day.Another big event this weekend is also confirmed as going ahead, the Lismore Speedway. Organiser David lander told the Lismore App "the only way Speedway is getting cancelled is if it rains".Tomorrow nights event starts at 5:30 as usual with the Production Sedan East Coast Grand Nationals and the RSA Junior Australian Championship.For those who love both events, Norco Eat The Street in the day and Speedway at night. That is a good Saturday's entertainment.The Lismore Farmers Market will be opening the gates at 8am tomorrow too, this was confirmed by North Coast Secretary Mark Bailey this afternoon.The Blue Knob Markets will be on from 8:30.However, the Car Boot Markets have been cancelled for this Sunday due to coronavirus.Musically, the Patty Griffin concert scheduled for tonight at the Lismore City Hall has been cancelled due to the coronavirus but indirectly as Patty doesn't want to not be allowed back into the States after her tour. Fair enough.There is a night of Alternative Punk at the Gollan Hotel on Saturday night with Queen Of The Ants, Thunder God of the Universe and TBosh, starts at 7:30.Push is on at Mary G's from 9:30 tomorrow night and soon on stage at the Nimbin Bowling Club is Josh Laws.Here's hoping for a cracking day tomorrow so we can enjoy what maybe one of the last big events we can hold for a while.That's the Weekend Wrap.

"Eat The Street will be going ahead as planned", that is the word from Mitch Lowe, the Tourism and Events Manager at Lismore City Council.Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced today that all events with more than 500 people can go ahead until Monday, 16 March. He advised that non-essential mass gatherings of more 500 people should not go ahead after this date.Lismore City Council said in their press release that it is following the advice of the Prime Minister and the 2020 Eat the Street event will continue as planned.There are still no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Northern NSW with the majority of cases in the capital cities especially Sydney and now Melbourne.The recent case of an academic Filipino man testing positive for coronavirus upon his return to the Philippines and closing SCU has also produced four negative test results from those who were close to the man during his visit.There is a case of influenza A in our community right now but as I mentioned no confirmed cases of coronavirus. If you feel unwell, you are encouraged to not attend this years Eat The Street.For those of us that will be heading into the CBD tomorrow, you are encouraged to practice good hygiene by using the many hand washing stations as well as the hand sanitiser stations throughout the area.Events kick off at 12 midday with over 37 food vendors including many local restaurants and cafes.The cooking stage is where you will learn how to be a better cook culminating with this years Guest Chef, Georgia Barnes showing her wares at 5:30pm.Georgia told the Lismore App that she really loves community events and is looking forward to coming to Lismore."My public display will be around savoury dishes", she said, "we'll make the dish from scratch so people can follow what I'm doing and I will be using local ingredients like veal, berries and sunshine sugar"."My private Master Class will be sweet based with a focus on nutritional swap out that is looking for healthy alternatives so instead of using plain flour using a healthy option or instead of sugar using honey" Georgia explained.For those that don't know the name Georgia Barnes, she finished runner up on the tv show Master Chef in 2015. Georgia has a nutritional background and currently works in a Health Retreat.There is plenty do for kids as well where they can decorate a lantern, take a tun on the jumping castle or watch one of the many shows.The live music stage kicks off at twelve with the Northern Rivers Youth Jazz Orchestra then Uncle Billy Smith, Kiss My Boots and more throughout the day and evening.Congratulations to Val Britton and Danica Sattler who were the winners of the Eat The Street 'Garden Party' tickets competition.For the full run down of events head to the Eat The Street button on the front page of the Lismore App then you will have everything in the palm of your hand (Eat The Street 2020)Enjoy what is an iconic and unique Lismore event!

Dressing up in silly costumes, walking around for hours in a big circle and generally acting the clown may seem like a lot of meaningless fun, but the 800 participants expected for this year’s Relay for Life in Lismore have a very serious goal in mind.And that’s to contribute to finding a cure for cancer, by raising funds for the Cancer Council to go towards research on finding solutions to the dreadful disease.Few of those participants – and none of the 126 survivors and carers taking part – have been unaffected by cancer, says Lyn Paisley, whose Clowns for a Cure team has been a regular participant since 2010, and under other names before that, since the relay’s beginning in 2002.She and her husband John have both had scary brushes with the disease and so, by default, has their youngest son, Mark, whose enthusiasm for the Relay as a Year 10 student at Lismore High School 18 years ago pulled the family into taking part.Clowns for a Cure started donning red noses 10 years ago, after the Relay organisers encouraged those taking part to dress up and create a party atmosphere.Because, says Erin Turnbull, the local Community Relations Co-ordinator, while the Relay is a memorial to those lost to the disease, it is also a celebration of those who have survived it, and their carers – the event’s “guests of honour”.Teams – a massive 62 this year – have been busy organising every conceivable type of fundraising event, from trivia nights to barefoot bowls and tomorrow night (Saturday, March 13) Lyn’s Clowns for a Cure are holding a “Back to Wyralla” dance and social at Wyralla Hall in Bridge Street.Lyn has fond memories of being a young woman going to dances at the hall, and hopes the event will encourage a few other long-term locals to come out and enjoy some nostalgia.There’s a $10 admission fee, sandwiches and drinks extra, and the “old-time and rock ‘n’ roll” music provided by popular duo Ann and Bill.“I’m really positive it’s going to be a success,” says Lyn.Her Clowns team (which includes her well-known firefighting hubby) were the third top fundraisers one year and this year “it’s looking quite promising”, she says.Despite people already “digging deep” to help with the bushfire crisis recovery, Lyn said the “wonderful” local community was continuing to give.Relay for Life takes place at the Southern Cross University campus on March 28-29.To register your team, contact Erin Turnbull at Cancer Council NSW on 6639 1300 or visit www.cancercouncil.org.au/lismorerelay

In a blow to the region’s music lovers, country legend Patty Griffin has cancelled her concert at the Lismore City Hall tonight fearing she would not be able to return home because of coronavirus precautions.The award-winning singer said she and her band were “unable to feel secure about getting back through our (US) borders the longer we delay” due to the Trump administration’s tightening entry because of the Covid-19 pandemic.Griffin gave a statement to her fans via City Hall starting “G’day y’all”, and saying “I hate to do it but it seems to make the most sense that we shorten our Australia and New Zealand tour and head back to the US on Friday morning”.She said she was also concerned about “the loved ones back home who worry and we worry for them”."We know that Australia and New Zealand have been so proactive in protecting (their) people against Covid-19. We've felt honestly that we have been in the best hands in the world while traveling through these past few weeks."I'm so honoured to have been given the opportunity to come back to this beautiful land. Over and over again our experiences here have been nothing short of healing, enlightening and magical."Thank you to all who came to the shows in Australia. And our apologies to those we missed – so disappointed to not get to Lismore and Auckland, as we had been looking forward to that for a long while. Hopefully, one day the opportunity will be there again."I've enjoyed the great warmth and humour of many here. Makes everything worthwhile. Thank you for caring for us so well Australia. We are honoured to have been your guests. Take good care. Much love."Griffin, described as a singer “with a spark that can ignite songs into brushfires of truth”, was due to play tomorrow night in Brisbane before the final Australasian concert in Auckland.Ticketholders will be contacted and fully refunded.

Eat The Street is only two days away and according to the Bureau of Meteorology the weather is looking good.The BOM is saying there is a medium chance of rain in the late afternoon or evening BUT it should only bring 1mm at best, if anything. After the week we've had with on and off showers, that is a positive forecast.Another concern for some people is the dreaded 'C' word...coronavirus.As we know from our previous story Coronavirus - The Facts (Coronavirus in the Northern Rivers - the facts) hand sanitiser and regular washing of your hands is the best way to not contract coronavirus.With this in mind the Lismore City Council will be placing additional handwash stations through Eat The Street as well as more hand sanitiser across the event. Feel free to bring your own hand sanitiser from home.If you are unwell 'stay at home' is the message from LCC. If you do have a cough or sneezing fit due to other elements like hay fever please cover your mouth with your arm.The 2020 Norco Eat The Street kicks off at 12 noon on Saturday with over 35 food stallholders dishing out some amazing food, bring your appetite! This does include many local restaurant, café's and food providers like Cafe Capello, Lanna Pad Thai, The Garden Plate and Mayfields Market Kitchen.The Lismore App is giving away two double passes to the new Garden Party. This is an area of relaxation in the Back Alley Gallery where you will experience a private bar, seating, shade area, private entertainment and four (4) tasting vouchers to be used throughout the event.Entries close at midday tomorrow (Friday March 13) so head to the WIN! button on the front page and fill in your details now.The winners will be drawn before 5pm tomorrow and notified by phone and email.Good luck and roll on the weekend!

As Lismore becomes the first place in regional Australia to report a coronavirus-related incident, the City Council is taking extra precautions to make this weekend’s Eat the Street Food Festival a safe and enjoyable experience for all involved.Working closely with health authorities, the council is actively promoting the practice of good health and hygiene measures at all times.As well as spruiking key public health and hygiene messages, the Council is providing additional hand-wash stations at Eat the Street and making hand sanitiser freely available across the event precinct.Meanwhile, it is encouraging festival-goers to:Maintain a good level of hygiene (hand-washing, covering coughs/sneezes)Bring their own hand sanitiser/hand washing products and use them regularlyDo not attend the event if they are unwellReport any cases of fever, coughing or other flu-like symptoms immediately to their doctorVisit First-Aid if they have any health concerns at the event.  For the latest advice, information and resources, go to www.health.gov.auThe National Coronavirus Health Information Line is 1800 020 080 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Southern Cross University has agreed to pay all staff – including casual employees – for their rostered hours today, despite campuses being closed due to a Coronavirus alert.Permanent staff will be paid as usual without having to take leave.Both the Lismore and Gold Coast campuses were closed to all students and staff this morning following reports that a Philippines-based academic who visited last week was later diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus. (See earlier story https://lismore.app.link/BLRE3IQDK4)The closure prompted fears among casual staff that they would not be paid for the day. One woman said she was left “feeling worried about making ends meet over the next couple of months as a casual worker and sole parent”. Almost half the academic teaching staff at SCU are casual and any non-paid days would “have a big impact on a lot of people”, said Kate Mitchell, SCU branch president for the National Tertiary Education Union NSW.She welcomed the university’s “compassionate response” to the casual staff members. “I’m very pleased that the university is not asking staff to pay for something out of their control,” Ms Mitchell said.Following the announcement of the closure, Ms Mitchell wrote to the university’s human resources department and Vice Chancellor Adam Shoemaker to inquire about the payment and holiday status of staff unable to go to work.She heard back later in the morning and congratulated the university on its responsible attitude – and for its follow-up. “The university has followed the local health authority’s advice and made an effort to locate anyone who may have been in contact with the infected man during his time at the campuses,” she said.While some staff were able to work from home, others were not, Ms Mitchell said, but she expected the university would move towards making it possible for more staff able to do so.The vulnerability of casual employees during the Coronavirus crisis could affect millions of workers nationwide, who may be forced to self-isolate and try to survive without an income.Earlier this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged business to look after all workers, no matter what type of contract they were on.