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The majority of Council facilities will reopen again from tomorrow after the NSW Government announced a lifting of the snap lockdown for the Tweed and Byron local government areas.
Stay at home orders will be lifted as planned from midnight tonight after NSW Health today confirmed no community transmission had occurred after a COVID-positive person visited the region.
However, services remain subject to tight restrictions to ensure the safety of residents until double vaccination target levels are met in coming weeks and months. (For more information, visit the NSW Government website.)
The Queensland Government responded quickly to the announcement, reinstating the non-restricted border zone rules which existed prior to the latest snap lockdown. These will come into effect from 1am tomorrow.
This means Tweed and Byron shire residents and Queenslanders travelling to these areas will be able to cross the border for more reasons. (For a list of permitted reasons, visit the Queensland Health website.)
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry welcomed today’s announcements by both state governments, saying it would bring relief to families, businesses and the border community.
“This is great news for the businesses and residents of the Tweed who have done it so tough in recent months and the silver lining is we have a holiday weekend to look forward to from Friday,” Cr Cherry said.
“While we still have to remain cautious, this will allow our community to get out and about and make the most of the remaining few days of the spring holiday break.”
Cr Cherry further welcomed the NSW Government’s Reopening NSW Roadmap announced yesterday, which lays out a timeframe for the staged reopening of the state.
“We welcome the certainty provided through the Reopening NSW Roadmap as it will allow residents and businesses the opportunity to make plans with confidence moving forward,” she said.
“We are particularly grateful the NSW Government has listened to our call to limit travel to the regions until the state reaches the 80% double vaccination point. This will give our community some much-needed time to catch up and get their vaccinations.”
As a result of the easing of restrictions, Council will open the majority of its customer-facing facilities from tomorrow, including:
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Tweed Regional Aquatic Centres (TRAC) at Murwillumbah, Kingscliff and South Tweed reopening with all programs, including squads, aqua aerobics and slides operating, with diving boards remaining shut
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Starting Block Café at TRAC Murwillumbah returns to normal operations
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Library branches at Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads and Kingscliff return to normal opening hours
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Brett Street CAFÉ at Tweed Heads returns to normal operations
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Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre (tip) returns to normal operations for domestic and commercial operations. Tweed JUNKtion Tip Shop to remain closed.
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Tweed Holiday Parks return to normal operations
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Customer Service Counters at Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads reopening at 9am
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Tweed Regional Museum returns to normal operations
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Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre returns to normal operations
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Community centres at Banora Point and South Tweed, South Sea Islander Room, Harvard Room, and Kingscliff Hall return to normal operations
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Council-approved community markets, including at Kingscliff, SALT Village, Pottsville, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads may reopen with COVID-safe plans in place.
The next Council meeting on Thursday 7 October will return to normal operations and will be held in the Harvard Room at Tweed Heads Administration Office. Anyone wishing to attend in person must pre-book their seats due to capacity restrictions. The meeting will also be livestreamed. Details on how to book or join the livestream are available on Council’s website.
Essential services including water and kerbside waste collection services continue to operate as normal.
For any queries, the community is encouraged to call our Contact Centre Team on (02) 6670 2400, chat to us online or email us on tsc@tweed.nsw.gov.au. Any issues can be reported online via our Report a Problem webpage or direct message us on Facebook.
Keep up to date with closures and service impacts on Council’s COVID-19 Emergency Dashboard.
For the latest on regional and rural restrictions, visit the NSW Government website at nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/affected-regions.
Visit the Queensland Government’s website for the latest information on its border zone rules.
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