Screen NSW update for the screen sector – Sunday 18 July 2021

From Grainne Brunsdon, Head of Screen NSW

Dear colleagues

Based on the latest advice from NSW and the Premier’s announcement on 17 July, in brief, the community is asked to stay home, for people to reduce their mobility in the community and do not go to work unless your role absolutely requires you to do so.

The following changes have or will come into effect across Greater Sydney including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour until the end of Friday, 30 July:

From the beginning of Sunday 18 July:

  • Retail shops are required to close (‘click and collect’, takeaway and home delivery can still operate), except for the following which can remain open:
  • Supermarkets and grocery stores (including butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable stores, liquor stores and fishmongers)
  • Stores that predominantly sell health, medical, maternity and infant supplies
  • Pharmacies and chemists
  • Petrol stations
  • Car hire
  • Banks and financial institutions
  • Hardware, nurseries and building supplies
  • Agricultural and rural supplies
  • Pet supplies
  • Post offices and newsagents
  • Office supplies
  • Phone repair shops
  • Business premises that are not retail shops including vets, GPs, optometrists etc. can stay open

In addition to the stay-at-home rules, residents of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool LGAs https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/greater-sydney-workers#fairfield-map

cannot leave their LGA unless they are an authorised worker https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/authorised-workers

From the beginning of Monday, 19 July:

  • All work on construction sites is to be paused (except where required for the security or safety of the site or to protect plant or equipment)
  •  All maintenance, including cleaning services, repair work, alterations and additions on residential premises to be paused (except where urgently required for health, security or safety or in an emergency).

From 12.01am on Wednesday, 21 July:

Employers must allow employees to work from home if the employee is able to do so, failure to do so can result in a fine of up to $10,000.

The NSW Government is constantly reviewing the health advice and will continue to update the community if any changes are required. All other restrictions that are currently in place across Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, will remain in place https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/greater-sydney .

What do the new restrictions mean for the screen production sector?

Currently, as long as you are working within the Public Health Orders and taking all the COVID-safe measures you can, screen production may continue. 

However, we ask that schedules are reviewed and anything that can be postponed while the stay at home Order is in place, is postponed. 

Where production must continue, it should continue with the utmost caution and use only essential personnel. Please limit the numbers of people allowed on set or on-site, and ensure everyone is wearing masks, indoors or outdoors when not on camera, and implement stringent COVID-plans.  Please monitor everyone daily, and anyone with even the mildest symptoms should not attend work, but should be immediately tested.

At this time, staff who are residents of Canterbury Bankstown, Fairfield and Liverpool LGAs are not permitted to leave these LGAs for work.

New venues of concern are being identified as case investigations continue, and the list of venues is continually updated. Everyone should check the NSW Health website regularly and follow the relevant health advice if they have been to a venue of concern.​

Service NSW and support for businesses and individuals

Kind regards

Grainne

Grainne Brunsdon | Head, Screen NSW

Create NSW, Department of Premier and Cabinet