Covid update: Businesses need to be ready

ANOTHER case of covid has been identified in Singleton, bringing the total number of active cases to five. There were an additional 11 cases in the Cessnock local government area, bring the total of active case there to 31.

There are also new venues of concern: More venues in Muswellbrook – including McDonalds.

The Premier issued a warning to regional areas, that on October 11, the rules become about vaccinated and unvaccinated and if people didn’t comply they may “go backwards.”

“If you’re note vaccinated, you will go backwards,” said the Premier.

“If your business doesn’t have employees that are vaccinated, your patrons aren’t vaccinated, you won’t be able to operate,” she said.

“So just a warning to everybody in the regions please make sure that you have yourself vaccinated if you haven’t already, because you could very well go backwards from the eleventh of October,” Gladys Berejiklian.

The Premier said businesses may face fines of $5,000 to $11,000 and closure if they breach health orders.

Covid numbers:

• 866 new cases
• 15 people have died
  • 2 people were in their 40s
  • 2 were in their 50s
  • 4 people were in their 60s
  • 3 people were in their 70s
  • 1 in their 80s
  • 3 people were in their 90s

Regional cases of covid by health district:

• 55 are from Hunter New England
• 34 are from Nepean Blue Mountains
• 24 are from Western NSW
• 23 are from Central Coast
• 18 are from Southern NSW
• 5 are from Far West
• 2 are from Northern NSW
• 3 are in correctional settings
• 5 cases are yet to be assigned to an area

There were 55 new cases identified in the Hunter New England Health District.