WITH pandemonium back in Victoria with four days of triple digit new cases recorded plus an outbreak at the Crossroads in Sydney tied to a pub.

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Australia is at a new high, or a new low depending how you look at things.

We have one state on the brink of disaster with the potential to spiral out of control, health workers in four Victorian hospitals have now tested positive alongside residents in high density public housing and over 100 cases tied to one school in the state.

Other states are desperately wanting to avoid the potential pitfalls of needing to go back into lockdown with NSW on the brink due to the outbreak at the Crossroads.

With increasing visitation to the region and school holidays in place, we need to not only do the three, but be cautious and COVID-19 safe.

For many, life will simply go on, with hand hygiene and some distancing added to the mix.

For others in retail, fitness and hospitality there is an urgent need to make sure that they are operating under the right COVID-19 safe plan.

The pub at the Crossroads in Sydney has shown that there can be transmission with multiple unrelated cases traced through the venue which has since been closed and is now the site of a pop up testing facility for patrons.

Every café, restaurant, pub and club must record contact details of patrons.

For some it is as simple as collecting dates, times, names and a contact phone number on paper at the venue.

Others like Little Beach Boathouse have ramped up online booking procedures to capture the right data.

At the end of the day businesses have a responsibility to collect this data so that if there is a need NSW Health can conduct contact tracing.

Businesses can find out and download the NSW Government’s guidelines for being COVID-19 safe at www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19.

Leah Anderson President of Tomaree Business Chamber told News Of The Area, “We want every business in Port Stephens to be a COVID-19 Safe business.

“Many businesses like golf courses, and clubs have already undertaken the COVID-19 Safe training and they have COVID safe plans in place,” she said.

She is urging all businesses to make sure that they are COVID-19 safe and fully compliant.

She believes that if we work together and follow the guidelines we can come out of this pandemic without losing too many jobs and businesses; a second lockdown could change all that.

“Our students especially those like my daughter who is doing her HSC this year, need certainty, they need to stay in school, not be homeschooled.”

To stay open and out of lockdown we need everyone to follow COVID safe plans.

“Our older and vulnerable residents need us to comply as well, so far we have as a community avoided tragedy, while opening the doors to business, I’d like to see that continue.”

“All it takes is care – let us lead by example and care enough to make our community an example of what to do, not what not to do,” she said.

We can all make changes to keep people safe, it only takes one person to do the grocery shopping, not 5 or 6, limiting numbers in shops is something we can all do.

We can all be considerate and when needed walk single file to allow others to be socially distant.

We can all do the 3 and enjoy Port Stephens alongside our visitors.

By Marian SAMPSON