Shoalhaven City Council is asking people to stay away this Easter and school holiday period, in a bid to protect the health and safety of locals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Amanda Findley said, "We are a popular holiday destination just two hours from Sydney and Canberra. We normally welcome visitors and value the important contribution they make to our regional economy, but for now we are asking you to please stay away.
"We have a high number of older residents and are concerned that visitors could increase the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak and place unnecessary stress on our local services.
"This is a very serious situation which is why we are calling for visitors to follow the Federal and State Government restrictions on unnecessary domestic travel," said Mayor Findley.
"We have limited resources and many of our communities were severely impacted by the January bushfires. Our grocery stores are already struggling to meet demand and most attractions are closed and events postponed," she said.
"Even if you plan to visit friends or family in the region or own a holiday home in the area, we are urging you to postpone your travel plans for the safety of the Shoalhaven's residents and yourself.
"People visiting family and friends makes up around one third of our visitation which is normally the beginning of beautiful memories. But during this challenging time I'm asking our Shoalhaven locals to tell your family to stay at home and stay safe," said Mayor Findley.
"COVID-19 needs to be taken very seriously and that means you need to cancel your holidays to the Shoalhaven. We look forward to welcoming everyone back with open arms when the time is right"
"If we are going to stop the spread of this virus you need to immediately halt any plans for non-essential travel," said Mayor Findley.
