Retail groups welcome government support package for NSW
By Imogen Bailey | 14 July 2021
The New South Wales and Commonwealth Governments have announced a joint support package for businesses and individuals impacted by the lockdown.
The support package sees an increase in the COVID-19 Disaster Payment from week four of a lockdown and a 50/50 cost sharing arrangement between the Commonwealth and the NSW Government for a new and expanded small to medium business support package.
From today, NSW businesses can register their interest to receive the support, which allows eligible businesses to receive 40% of their NSW payroll payments, at a minimum of $1500 and a maximum of $10,000 per week.
Greater Sydney lockdown extended to July 30
By Imogen Bailey | 14 July 2021
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended the Greater Sydney lockdown for at least two weeks.
The lockdown, which was previously extended to this Friday July 16, will stay in place to at least Friday July 30.
The news comes as NSW recorded 97 new cases of COVID-19 to 8pm last night.
The current restrictions will remain in place, including the limited reasons to leave home, a 10km radius limit from home, restrictions on gatherings and mask-wearing.
The extension of the lockdown comes as the NSW and Commonwealth Governments announce a joint support package for the state.
Andre M N Renzaho theconversation.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theconversation.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
We have now struggled to come to terms with the Coronavirus pandemic for almost two years. For those who can still remember past pandemics it is like reliving that world again - lockdowns, quarantine, masks, social distancing, work, shop and school closures, cleansing and spraying of premises and long slow-moving queues at testing and vaccination sites.
Almost 20 years ago I argued that our world had tended to ignore infectious diseases and that we were looking at decades of pandemic outbreaks. Such comments attracted little attention. I also argued that we desperately needed to understand not only how infectious diseases spread and their impact in terms of cases and deaths but also how you and I react, behave and are often greatly affected by fear, hysteria and panic.