COVID Safe Summer Plan

An essential plan to safely enjoying NSW’s great public spaces this summer

HELP US STAY COVID SAFE

Updated December 2020 NSW has a wealth of beautiful public open spaces. We love A message from our beaches, open spaces and the Premier and parklands but it’s going to be a different kind of summer and the Minister for we’ll have to work hard to keep these public spaces open, safe Planning & Public and welcoming places for the Spaces community. Australians remain safe and healthy Parks and public spaces are integral each summer by swimming between to our way of life in NSW and they the flags, applying the‘Slip!, Slop!, have been a lifeline during the Slap!, Seek!, Slide!’ principle, or COVID-19 pandemic, helping to checking the Fires-Near-Me app. In maintain our health and wellbeing. the coming months, we need to adapt We thank the people of NSW for our usual summer rituals to include using our beaches, parks and streets COVID-Safe practices. responsibly during this period. • Remembering to keep a towel As we move into the summer months length (1.5m) between you and and the great outdoors beckon, we other beachgoers must redouble our efforts to keep • Look out for the circles when our community safe. It’s important to enjoying our parklands and observe the public health advice and respect the space of others by maintain physical distancing while maintaining 1.5m physical distance enjoying the open air and the unique public spaces that make NSW such • Avoiding crowded environments a special place to live. As popular • Limiting outdoor gatherings locations attract more people, take • Remembering to wash your hands, the opportunity to discover some and stay home if you’re unwell of our less frequented parks and • Wearing a face mask when physical community places. distancing can’t be maintained The COVID-Safe Summer Plan assists • Ensuring you have a COVID-Safe managers of beaches, parklands and Plan for your business or public spaces, with ideas on how to community organisation provide a safe summer for all. The • Testing and self-isolating even if Plan builds on significant investment you have mild symptoms by the NSW Government, including our $250 million program to provide Our COVID-Safe Summer Plan economic and jobs stimulus in supports current Public Health Orders, response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the information available on and deliver a legacy of safe, quality nsw.gov.au/covid-19. public space for all in our community More detailed guidance, case studies to enjoy. and recommendations are available on the Great Public Spaces section The Honourable Gladys Berejiklian, MP of the NSW Department of Planning, Premier of NSW Industry and Environment website to support Councils and public space The Honourable Rob Stokes, MP managers. Minister for Planning & Public Spaces

Eastern suburbs coastal walk, Hamilton Lund, Destination NSW Cover image: , Alex King First Fleet Park, Place Management NSW

Marking out safe distancing in our parklands and popular open spaces Our State-owned parklands and public open spaces remain open to the public, unless advised otherwise. The health and safety of visitors and staff is vital and gardens and parklands teams are implementing measures to protect the community. From September onwards, First Fleet Park in The Rocks, Tumbalong Park in , Murray Gardens and the Crescent amphitheatre in Park will be marked to aid physical distancing, with more locations in the , Royal Botanic Gardens 1 and Olympic Park to come before summer. Bondi Beach, Waverley Council Parklands Food Fest,

1.5m 2 3 Promoting a Keep a towel length Delivering a COVID-Safe summer between you campaign program of events in our parklands and This summer we are asking beachgoers in NSW to public spaces keep a towel length between themselves and other NSW is an incredible destination, and major beachgoers. We’re asking everyone to heed Public events play an important role in showcasing an Health Orders to ensure the community remains area, supporting local economies and engaging safe. If a lifeguard, beach ambassador, volunteer the community. A range of events and initiatives surf life saver, park ranger or police officer will encourage safe use of public spaces over asks community members to move on due to summer, including: overcrowding, they should obey those instructions. • A series of activities across our state Many of our beaches and parks are managed by significant places, parks and gardens in councils and they are leading the way with best The Festival of Place, a 365 day celebration practice. They’re working with Surf Lifesaving clubs and series of programs and activations to designate swimming areas and issue regular encouraging people to be outdoors, active, broadcasts across patrolled beaches. Councils have and re-discover, explore and celebrate our moved swiftly with initiatives including deploying diverse public spaces. Beach Ambassadors and ranger patrols, installing • Establishing a Ministerial taskforce on major signage and Variable Messaging Signs promoting events, supported by a central portal where awareness of Public Health Orders and providing event organisers can go for advice on how to support to local business. stage COVID-Safe events. You can do your bit too: the length of a beach • Great Southern Nights will deliver 1,000 towel is a good guide for the minimum safe COVID-Safe gigs across live music venues physical distance of 1.5m you need to keep between across Greater Sydney and Regional NSW you and others. The NSW Government will be this November, including performances by working with councils to spread this simple beach artists including Jimmy Barnes, Birds of message—Keep a towel length between you. Tokyo and Missy Higgins. George Street, The Rocks, Damien Carroll Pittwater, Palm Beach, Northern Beaches Council

4 5 Supporting local businesses in high Working with councils streets, plazas and precincts We urge the community to follow the advice We encourage councils and local businesses of council rangers across NSW to ensure Public to take advantage of outdoor dining. In most Health Orders are respected and the community cases, outdoor and footpath dining for cafes and remains safe. Encourage the community check restaurants doesn’t require planning approvals if in with your website to plan their trip in advance the relevant standards are met. as there may be a range of restrictions in place, for example, pre-booking is needed at some of In response to COVID-19, the NSW Government our most popular camping areas in our beautiful has enabled mobile food trucks to operate on National Parks. any land at any time, with landholder permission, meaning there are more places you can enjoy a Councils, along with National Parks and Wildlife meal outdoors. We are also investigating how to Service, manage a range of public spaces and they make it easier to run outdoor markets. will be innovative and responsive in encouraging use of their beaches, parks and waterways. All businesses should register as COVID-Safe through nsw.gov.au, and make use of resources The NSW Government is collaborating with available such as a COVID-Safe check in via a QR councils on: code. • Sharing of COVID-Safe Summer guidance for Resources are available for councils and local public spaces, highlighting best practice and businesses who want to learn more about offering useful resources, including ready-reckoners outdoor dining to patrons. The NSW Government to share with the local community on using is working to make this an even simpler more beaches safely streamlined process so that we can support our • Promotion of a ‘New Local’ campaign, which local cafes and stay safe. raises the profile of alternative local public spaces and encourages the community not to Street initiatives across NSW will allow restaurants, overcrowd popular public spaces bars, cafes and other retailers to have customers spread out into the street, through the NSW Government’s Streets as Shared Spaces program. Since July, a temporary road closure of George For more information on the Street in The Rocks has operated as a vibrant COVID-Safe Summer Plan, visit: public space 24/7, showing how pilot projects can support local businesses to continue operating. dpie.nsw.gov.au/premiers- priorities/great-public-spaces

HELP US STAY COVID SAFE

Visit www.nsw.gov.au and for 24-hour assistance on Public Health Orders, you can call Service NSW on 13 77 88.