Northern Beaches Council has released a plan to maximise public safety and reduce the risk of COVID-19 in public places during the coming busy holiday period.
The COVID-19 Summer Action Plan for Outdoor Public Spaces supports NSW Public Health Orders and recommendations and provides a framework for how Council will work with NSW Police, Surf Lifesaving and other authorities over summer.
It details proactive measures Council will implement including:
- establishing a Beach Safety Working Group with key stakeholders to deliver a coordinated response;
- activating additional flagged areas to reduce crowd density;
- increasing cleansing of public places;
- monitoring by rangers and lifeguards with reminders of social distancing and crowd gathering restrictions;
- ongoing review of parking restrictions;
- regular and consistent communication through onsite signage, website, lifeguard announcements and other digital and social channels.
The Plan also details how Council will apply a staged response based on actual and forecasted crowd levels at beaches, considering crowd densities calculated for each beach when social distancing restrictions are applied.
Mayor Michael Regan said being COVID-safe this summer was a shared responsibility.
“We really want to keep our beaches, parks, playgrounds and pools open so people can enjoy them to full this summer,” Mayor Regan said.
“But the threat of COVID-19 is still very real and we all need to remember this when we are out and about this summer.
“If you get to a public place and it looks uncomfortably busy, it might be a good idea to try somewhere else, or try again later.
“We’ll be working with Police and Surf Lifesaving to do all we can to protect the health of everyone. We also need the cooperation of the community so we can all have a great summer.”
The Northern Beaches COVID-19 Summer Action Plan for Outdoor Public Spaces is available https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/general-information/summer-action-plan-outdoor-public-spaces