NSW has adjusted work permit requirements for authorised workers in Sydney Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Concern after unions warned that thousands of workers wouldn’t be able to get their first vaccination in time. The first vaccination deadline for authorised workers has now been pushed back to Friday 6 September. NSW has also removed the option of rapid antigen testing.
The permit system for essential workers moving in and out of Sydney LGAs of Concern came into effect from 12:01am, Saturday 28 August 2021, requiring authorised workers to register for a travel.
Previously, authorised workers who work outside their LGA of concern were only to be permitted to work if rapid antigen testing was implemented at their work-site or they had their first vaccination dose by Monday 30 August.
Unions NSW said the plan was “ill-conceived” with “little to no thought” given to its practical implementation. It warned that “tens of thousands of workers” could have been barred from turning up on Monday. Woolworths last week warned that 40% of its staff in the LGAs of concern were unvaccinated.
In a change announced late last week, the vaccination deadline for authorised workers has now been pushed back to Friday 6 September, but the NSW government has also removed the option of rapid antigen testing.
“Effective 6 September 2021, if you are over the age of 16 and live in or are temporarily staying in a LGA of concern, you must not leave your local government area for work unless you have had at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or have evidence of a medical exemption,” the NSW government said on Friday.
“Rapid antigen testing (RAT) is no longer an alternative to vaccination for authorised workers.”
(Authorised workers refer to people who live in a declared local government area (LGA) of concern and are authorised to leave their LGA for work purposes.)
The local government areas of concern are: Bayside; Blacktown; Burwood; Campbelltown; Canterbury-Bankstown; Cumberland; Fairfield; Georges River; Liverpool; Parramatta; Strathfield; and Penrith for the following suburbs: Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.
Priority Pfizer vaccination appointments are now available at Sydney Olympic Park for all authorised workers aged over 16 living in local government areas (LGAs) of concern.
From Saturday 28 August 2021, you need to register your travel if you're:
- an authorised worker living in a local government area (LGA) of concern and you need to leave your area for work. This includes travelling to another LGA of concern (also known as a 'workers permit’).
- entering an LGA of concern for work (also known as a ‘workers permit’).
- from a non-area of concern and you need to travel more than 50km outside of Greater Sydney for work, and you cannot work from home.
The permit lasts 14 days before a new permit is required.
Register here: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-your-travel-within-nsw
More information here.
