The announcement to ban non-essential travel is expected to hit local businesses that are still open hard, but Gunnedah Shire Council is uncertain of just how hard this may be.
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The government announced on Thursday that only essential travel with reasonable excuses is allowed from now on during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Namoi Valley Independent approached the council for an estimated loss of income into the town, but a council spokesperson said it was "impossible at this stage [to] quantify that impact without knowing how long this situation might last".
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"It is already impacting on local businesses as it is on businesses around the world," the spokesperson said.
"To help out our community, Gunnedah shire councillors have endorsed a move to freeze interest accrual against rates, fees and charges that are currently outstanding or may become outstanding.
"Council has also agreed to cease the escalation of any outstanding accounts to formal debt recovery processes."
The spokesperson said the council's economic development team was providing information each week to businesses on ways to deal with the situation.
We will be open for business down the track but in terms of the current situation we find ourselves in, we're asking people to please don't travel to our region.
- Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson
In terms of the travel ban, the government has said Easter holidaymakers should "indefinitely" postpone their trips.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said it was important that everybody was doing their part to stop the spread of the virus.
"While we love having visitors and tourists and we want to promote our region, now is not the time to do that," Mr Anderson said.
"We will be open for business down the track but in terms of the current situation we find ourselves in, we're asking people to please don't travel to our region.
"We want to ensure we keep our people safe and don't want to compromise the good work our local community is doing looking at what we have to do to drive down the cases of COVID-19."
- Obtaining food or other goods or services for the personal needs of the household or other household purposes (including for pets) and for vulnerable people
- Travelling for work, if you can't work from home
- Travelling for childcare (including picking up or dropping another person at childcare)
- Travelling to attend school or other educational institutions, if the person attending cannot learn from home
- Exercising
- Obtaining medical care or supplies or health supplies or fulfilling carer's responsibilities
- Attending a wedding, but no more than five people are allowed (including the person conducting the service)
- Attending a funeral, but no more than 10 people are allowed (including the person conducting the service)
- Moving to a new place of residence (including a business moving to new premises) or between different places of residence of the person or inspecting a potential new place of residence
- Providing care or assistance (including personal care) to a vulnerable person or providing emergency assistance
- Donating blood
- Undertaking any legal obligations
- Accessing public services (these can be to government, private or non-government organisations). These can include: social, employment, domestic violence and mental health services; as well as services provided to victims (including as victims of crime)
- For children who do not live in the same household as their parents or siblings or one of their parents or siblings-continuing existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children or siblings
- A priest, minister of religion or member of a religious order may go to their place of worship or provide pastoral care to another person
- If you need to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm
- For emergencies or compassionate reasons