JUNE 4, 2020
C I T Y H U B SY D N E Y. C O M . AU
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BONDI RESCUE PAGE 1-2
BONDI BOUNCING BACK: MAYOR MASSELOS INTERVIEWED BY ALLISON HORE s much of Bondi reopens for business, City Hub spoke to Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, about what’s in store for the iconic beach and its surrounds in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Waverley, and neighbouring Woollahra, were considered NSW “hotspots” early in the pandemic. But the emergence of new cases has slowed, largely as a result of widespread social distancing measures. According to NSW Health there were only 6 locally-acquired COVID-19 cases over the month of May in the South Eastern Sydney health district, which includes the Waverley council area.
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Ms. Masselos said that working together with neighbouring councils was crucial in controlling the spread, and that she will continue to work with them moving forward. “The other thing I have done is set up a regular weekly meeting with the 4 mayors - Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and Bayside - to try and coordinate as much as we can,” she explained. Ms. Masselos said the “swim and go” corridors introduced by the council to reduce the number of people on the beaches after the sand was closed in March were “very popular”. Up to 1500 people per hour used the corridors to get to the water.
As of May 15, the beaches in Waverly were reopened, but the fencing was kept in place to ensure the beach can easily be closed if the number of people on them exceeds the state government mandated 500. Ms. Masselos said the next step in reopening the beach will be looking to see when the fencing will be removed. “We’ve been working very closely with the police and the department of health, and we’re making sure we’re doing the best thing for our community, given that we were a hot spot,” she said. While efforts to contain the outbreak in the area have been largely successful, the road to a COVID-free Eastern suburbs isn’t over yet. In late May when
schools across the state reopened, cases were discovered in Waverley College and Moriah College, private schools in the Eastern suburbs located just two kilometres apart from each other. The discovery of these cases forced the schools to be “almost completely evacuated.” “We’re no longer a hot spot but we still have had a huge number of cases,” Ms. Masselos said. “It’s all about people doing the right thing and for the most part people are, so I am hoping that over the next few months we’ll see an easing of these restrictions. Of course, the big test will be when it comes back into Spring and Summer.” Continued on page 2
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