By RON CAMPBELL | Mayor, Narrabri Shire Council

The Narrabri Shire community continues to demonstrate its resilience despite the ongoing and often everchanging restrictions imposed in response to COVID.

These restrictions are having significant impacts to the people in regional communities.

Council understands the frustrations some of these restrictions have on individual circumstances and I urge the community to continue to maintain its resilience as our shire always does in challenging circumstances.

We must remain positive and be thankful for the community we live in during these times and support one another.

Shire waste services provision update

Council has pushed for and received confirmation that the transfer station at the Narrabri waste facility and all Narrabri Shire rural transfer stations can reopen under the previous Public Health Order restrictions.

This is great news for our residents who do not have kerbside collection and can now attend a transfer station to dispose of their household waste.

Residents with a kerbside collection are still required to utilise the kerbside service and not attend waste facilities according to the advice from NSW Health regarding the current Public Health Order.

As per previous restrictions at council’s landfill facility; materials such as green waste, timber/wood, scrap metal, tyres will not be accepted at this time.

Shire vaccination update

I have been in contact with all levels of government from federal to state, lobbying hard for the establishment of a mass vaccination centre for the shire.

Council has also been in contact with the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network to further our advocacy on behalf of the community for a mass vaccination centre, similar to what other towns in surrounding electorates and local government areas have held recently.

Council will continue to investigate all avenues to provide the community greater access to any mass vaccination opportunities.

We are fortunate to have a number of local health facilities providing vaccinations to the community by appointment – thank you to those providers who are working tirelessly to provide this service.

Also, I’d like to thank the organisations who recently provided vaccination opportunities in the Pilliga and Wee Waa communities.

I encourage the community to continue through whatever channel is available, for example local pharmacies, or local doctors, to get the jab.

Vaccination resources are stretched in NSW and not to mention the vaccine supply, so keep looking for every possible opportunity to get vaccinated whilst we continue to push for the establishment of a mass vaccination centre here in the shire.

Current vaccination rates for our Shire postcodes are as follows:

  • 2390: first dose: 40-49 per cent | second dose: 20-29 per cent | eligible: 6909.
  • 2388: first dose: 30-39 per cent | second dose: 10-19 per cent | eligible: 1988.
  • 2382: first dose: 40-49 per cent | second dose: 20-29 per cent | eligible: 1009.
  • 2397: first dose: 50-59 per cent | second dose: 10-19 per cent | eligible: 284.

NSW Health sewage testing

Council can confirm that the Narrabri Sewage Treatment Plant was tested for traces of COVID on Tuesday, August 24.

Council has been in constant contact with NSW Health for the duration of the pandemic regarding testing of sewage in the Narrabri Shire.

Sewage testing is not routinely available as it requires specialist laboratories and staff to run the tests.

We are thankful that we have been included in this week’s round of testing.

A positive reading in a sewage test is not a guarantee of a case in the community.

It could mean there has been one or more people who are infectious with COVID in the catchment area; or it could mean that there has been one or more people in the catchment area who have recently recovered and are no longer infectious.

Strategic sewage testing assists the state government to combat the spread of the virus.

I urge interested members of the community to seek out the dedicated NSW Health website on the Sewage Surveillance program.

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