Schools across NSW are to remain open while significant new restrictions to slow the spread of the Coronavirus come into effect.
Announcing the arrangement, Premier, Gladys Berejiklian said she understood that many parents in the community were worried, that the changes would affect everyday lives and that y may be upsetting.
“But these decisions will make us all safer, they are taken with the health of all citizens in mind, and they must be taken now,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“If you have the capacity to work from home, you should do so.”
She said schools would remain open, based on health advice.
“But in NSW, for practical reasons, parents are encouraged to keep their children at home,” she said.
She said a range of non-essential activities and businesses had been ordered to close down temporarily, these included pubs and clubs; gyms and indoor sporting venues; cinemas, entertainment venues and night clubs; and religious gatherings.
She said restaurants and cafes were restricted to takeaway and/or home delivery only.
Ms Berejiklian said supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics, and home delivery were among the many services remaining open.
The Federal Government had already announced that Australian schools would stay open.
The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said the only reason children should be home from school was if they were unwell.
