Tag Archives
Mask up, Sydney
By ALLISON HORE From midnight on Saturday mask wearing will be compulsory in certain indoor settings across the Greater Sydney area Despite high testing rates and low numbers of confirmed cases, the number of cases popping up outside of the Northern beaches area has led NSW Health to make masks mandatory for certain indoor venues […]
Protests of up to 500 people now allowed
By ALLISON HORE Democracy campaigners are celebrating after NSW Health announced changes to restrictions on protests. Despite not a single documented case of coronavirus transmission occurring at a protest in Australia, COVID-19 health and safety orders had been used to shut down a number of protests in Sydney. But changes to the public health orders […]
COVID-19 hits more CBD venues
By ALLISON HORE Diners at a number of inner-city restaurants and bars are being asked to get tested and self-isolate after being visited by patrons while they were possibly infectious with COVID-19. A patron, who is said to have acquired COVID-19 through community transmission, visited Holy Duck! at Kensington St, Chippendale on July 10 between […]
Bondi rescue: Covid-19 testing clinic at beach
By ALEC SMART On 1 April a pop-up clinic to test for Covid-19 was established in Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach promenade. The testing station was implemented by NSW Health after a surge of coronavirus cases in the Bondi area. The increase was attributed to backpackers ignoring social distancing rules and swarms of tourists that […]
Hospital workers’ safety strike
By VERONICA ANASSIS Crowds of union protestors lobbied outside Camperdown and Randwick hospitals on Thursday, on strike against unsafe working conditions. Medical and security staff, estimated at 80, stood outside their Royal Prince Alfred and Prince of Wales precincts as part of a state-wide stand-off. Thousands rallied for their rights across 50 hospitals on the […]
Just get the jab
By MICHAEL HITCH NSW health officials are urging the public to get influenza vaccinations for the 2019 national ‘horror flu season’ as the national death toll nears 300, following the death of a 13-year-old girl from Melbourne last week. Crystal-Lee Wightley had been experiencing flu-like symptoms for three days before she slipped into unconsciousness and […]
Sydney smokers in a time warp
By Allison Hore While national smoking rates are on the decline, some parts of Sydney have smoking rates unmatched by the national average since the 1980s. The Australian Health Policy Collaboration, which comprises more than 50 leading health organisations in Australia, has set a target for 5 percent smoking rates by 2025. Currently the national […]
Randwick ambulance “super” station
BY VANESSA LIM NSW Liberal Government plans to build a Randwick ambulance superstation and downgrade surrounding eastern suburb stations to Paramedic Response Points (PRP) has sparked concern for possible delayed response times. Despite reassurance from NSW Health that response times won’t be affected, critique from the Health Services Union NSW argues that a centralised super […]
Paramedics Under Attack
BY JADE MORELLINI The Australian Paramedics Association (APA) is demanding the reduction of single paramedic responses as paramedics are sick and tired of being attacked on the job. If paramedics attend emergencies where they feel unsafe or are being threatened, they will now walk away and wait for police to arrive. When paramedics are alone, […]
RMS thumbs its nose at NSW EPA
OPINION BY WENDY BACON NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has thumbed its nose at the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), NSW Health, City of Sydney, the Inner West Council and the authors of 13,000 submissions, nearly all objecting to the Stage 3 WestConnex interchanges and tunnels between St Peters, Haberfield and Rozelle. Last week, […]
