COVID-19 rules and restrictions remain fluid and have extended further into regional NSW, outside of the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong, and Shellharbour areas. Following the Public Health Orders as they apply to our areas, being COVID safe, following medical advice, practicing good personal hygiene, and looking out for one another are all essential elements to keeping our communities safe.
Following the announcement of the extension of COVID-19 lockdown provisions with stay-at-home rules applying to many regional areas of NSW, Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT will follow the health advice of and Public Health Orders including, but not limited to, the following effect:
- In Greater Sydney (including the local government areas of the Central Coast, the City of Shellharbour, and the City of Wollongong) until further notice, Guides@Home activities where meeting online may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In Newcastle and the Hunter (including the local government areas of Newcastle, Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Port Stephens and Singleton) until further notice, Guides@Home activities, where meeting online, may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the Minister in Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In the Armidale local government area until further notice, Guides@Home activities where meeting online may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the Minister in Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In Northern Rivers (including the local government areas of Ballina, Byron, City of Lismore, and Richmond Valley) until further notice, Guides@Home activities, where meeting online, may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the Minister in Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In the Tamworth local government area until further notice, Guides@Home activities, where meeting online, may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the Minister in Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In the Dubbo local government area until further notice, Guides@Home activities, where meeting online , may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the Minister in Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In the Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren local government areas until further notice, Guides@Home activities, where meeting online , may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in these local government areas must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the Minister in Clause 20 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In the ACT until further notice, Guides@Home activities, where meeting online , may only take place by Microsoft Teams. Guide Halls and campsites in the ACT must be closed, hiring not permitted, and activities such as working bees not undertaken, per the Direction of the ACT Government in that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, be away from their place of residence.
- In NSW local government areas where stay-at-home rules apply, face masks must be worn (unless an exemption applies) per Service NSW :
- in all indoor areas of non-residential premises (ie. when shopping for essential items)
- at outdoor gatherings including COVID-19 safe outdoor gatherings and controlled outdoor public gatherings
(when and where permitted)
- if you are on public transport
- in a major recreation facility such as a stadium
- if you are working in a hospitality venue
- In other parts of NSW and NT, where stay-at-home or lockdown orders do not apply, Girl Guides activities may continue provided that:
- appropriate physical distancing requirements are followed
- the relevant COVID-19 Safety Plans (for indoor or outdoor gatherings) have been prepared per the Public Health (COVID-19 Gathering Restrictions) Order (No 2), and is in the possession of the organiser
- In other parts of NSW, where stay-at-home or lockdown orders do not apply, Girl Guides activities may continue provided that:
- masks are worn by all persons over the age of 12 years (as required by Clause 17 of Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021) including outside
- QR codes (Service NSW in NSW/CBR App in ACT/Territory Check-in in NT) are mandatory for all indoor and outdoor recreation facilities. Information on setting up a QR code and resources for displaying it at all venues is available here .
Guides@Home, Meeting Online and Virtual Girl Guides Activities
Unit Leaders who are planning virtual online Guides@Home activities can get help from their Regions, may find resources in
My GuideBook , and look up program ideas by fundamental in the
Guides@Home pages of our website. Unit Leaders who want to share their program ideas can do so
here.
As a responsible child-safe organisation, Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT have provided Districts and Units with Microsoft accounts to access Microsoft Teams that give Guide Leaders and Managers virtual keys to a virtual hall ensuring we have a safe place for every girl to be enriched by the Girl Guides experience when meeting online. You can find out more about meeting online from our
COVIDsafe Guiding pages .
Mental Health Awareness and Protection
The wellbeing and mental health of every member of our Girl Guides community, and every community, is so important. It is natural, and entirely understandable, to feel a wide range of emotions with so much news and overwhelming amounts of information about COVID and lockdowns constantly present.
Stress, worry, anxiety, boredom, or low mood are all commonplace, and many people are feeling distressed and burnt out.
Please continue to check in on each other, as you all have been. If you are feeling distressed, confused, burnt out or overwhelmed, please know you are not alone, and there are people you can talk to.
Sharpen you Awareness skills
The Mental Health Awareness eGuiding short course is a wonderful way to improve your understanding of Mental Health. Go to
www.eGuiding.org.au to enrol.
Bite Back at the Black Dog
Facilitate the Bite Back Challenge in your Units, an online positive psychology program designed to improve the wellbeing of young people aged 10–18, delivered in partnership with The Black Dog Institute. You can access this program in the online resources section of
Running Your Unit .
Talk it out
Speak to your Region Manager, District Manager, or any Sister in Guiding if you feel you are struggling or in need of support. And of course, our staff at Guide House are on hand as well! We’re all in this together!
Research
Other useful resources include National Mental Health websites like these listed by
Beyond Blue , and the Australian Government’s
COVID support site.