Mayor calls for return of ‘no brainer’ health precautions
Published on 16 December 2021
Within hours of confirmation that NSW has achieved its highest ever daily tally of COVID infections, Burwood Mayor John Faker has called on the NSW Government to reinstate basic health precautions in a pre-emptive move to limit the impact of the virus on a community struggling to bounce back from a challenging year.
The Burwood community knows from bitter experience the reality of living life in a harsh lockdown as an area of concern, and has no desire for a return to those conditions or for other areas of NSW to experience the same fate.
Mayor Faker said that masks should be worn in all indoor settings particularly with crowds surging into shops ahead of Christmas and that QR codes should be maintained at all venues, not just in high risk settings.
“It’s a no brainer really. The community have been used to checking in and checking out for months and the contact tracing system has been excellent in letting people know if they have come into contact with a case,” said Cr Faker.
“The Burwood community worked really hard during lockdown to keep numbers low through obeying public health advice, getting tested and coming forward to get vaccinated. I am now getting calls from residents who are terrified of catching the virus or going back into lockdown.
“It would give the community peace of mind if these simple health precautions were reinstated while scientists and researchers scramble to find out the impact that Omicron strain will have.”
The Mayor was adamant that the community has worked too hard and sacrificed too much for it all to be thrown away on the basis of nothing more than a political decision. “Governments at all levels need to know that decisions have consequences.
Getting a positive COVID test now or coming into contact with a case has the potential to ruin Christmas, and after a tough year that’s the last thing anyone needs. “For the sake of wearing a mask or checking in to a venue for a few more weeks – I think we can all live with that,” he concluded.