THESE school holidays are all about family and exploring what our own state has to offer.
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For the Velez and Lewis families of Sydney, international travel was replaced with a three week caravanning roadtrip around New South Wales.
And they are having a ball.
Port Macquarie-Hastings is sold out for the holidays with tourist operators and accommodation providers expecting numbers exceeding what the region would normally experience during the premier Ironman triathlon sporting weekend.
Tammy Velez said Port Macquarie has been a great option for their children with the Breakwall Holiday Park positioning them in the heart of the action.
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"We were supposed to be in New York. We were going to do a month in the United States, go to California and a wedding in Palm Springs - that never eventuated," she said.
Nor did revised plans to head to the Flinders Ranges when the state borders were closed to contain COVID-19 cluster outbreaks.
The two families packed up the kids and the caravan and went north instead. They have spent five days in the Hastings and are now heading off to Lightning Ridge and Mudgee.
NSW Health, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, the Liquor Accord and Chamber of Commerce have all worked together to ensure this holiday season is enjoyed and can be a positive boost to the local economy.
COVID-19 action plans have been a priority for local business who will be on the frontline in managing compliance.
NSW Police will be ensuring the rules are followed.
What you need to know during your stay:
There are no limitations on people who live in NSW travelling within NSW.
From September 14, changes to the public health order for restrictions on gathering and movement came into effect.
- You must continue good hand hygiene and practise 1.5m social distancing measures when in public spaces. This includes the beach.
- No more than 20 people can gather outside in a public place.
- There is no daily limit to visitors to your home, so long as you don't have more than 20 visitors at any one time.
- If there are more than 20 visitors at a home, every person will be held individually responsible for a breach of the public health order.
- You can have guests from any household so long as it does not exceed 20 visitors in total.
- An overnight stay as part of a visit to someone's house is allowed.
- Up to 20 people may stay in a holiday home or holiday rental.
- If you are visiting a national park camping ground you must book ahead.
All businesses that prepare and serve food and drink to customers on the premises or for takeaway need to have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Penalties apply to venues found to breach the public health order rules.
Authorised officers are making inspections of businesses to check compliance with safety plans and are able to issue on-the-spot fines.
Penalties for breaching Public Health Orders range up to $55,000, with a further $27,500 penalty possible for each day an offence continues.
For repeated non-compliance, businesses may be shut down for periods of up to a month.
Fore more go to www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/what-you-can-and-cant-do-under-rules
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