The covid situation at this time, in Sydney and NSW has become very complicated. Since the start of covid restrictions in early 2020, OSS has been able to operate as an essential service in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane but this has recently changed and been modified in Sydney.
We are currently subject to increased restrictions for the 12 Sydney LGA’s (Local Government Area’s) of Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown, Georges River, Bayside, Strathfield, Burwood and Penrith for the following suburbs: Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.
Just added to these 12 regional LGAs are some regional centres such as Hunter and Upper Hunter including Newcastle, Armidale, Ballina, Byron, Tamworth, Dubbo, and Western NSW.
Unlike previously when our Covid essential service exemption allowed us to operate normally, we are now unable to have our workers who reside in these 12 LGA areas and regional centres perform removal work outside of their own LGA area. So work such as delivery and packing and uplift has virtually come to a stop in the past 2 weeks in Sydney not only for OSS but across a large proportion of the international removal industry in Sydney as the majority of the industrys crews reside in these 12 LGAs which covers almost 3 million people.
At OSS Sydney, in order to enable a continuation of any service at all, we are partnering with a number of trusted associated local, country and regional removalist partners (who are still able to operate normally as their workers do not reside within the 12 LGAs) that have enabled us to continue a reduced service involving packing and uplift or delivery work but this will involve a modification to our services. As we are operating on about 10% or less of our normal crew capacity, we simply cannot perform many services at all. When we can provide a service, the modification to our services include:
- At times, delays in scheduled delivery or pack & uplift dates
- changes to delivery and packing dates, due to government directives or other related logistical factors.
- A reduced delivery service where we are only able to deliver household goods into a residence for the owner to self-unwrap & unpack.
With regards to the unpacking of heavy items and putting together of beds, tables etc OSS will not be able to provide this service at this time due to the above. We will be able to deliver a clients effects, if the client is able and willing to unpack & assemble the goods themselves. If they are unable or unwilling to do so, whilst totally understanding this position, we will then need to reschedule delivery to a date at a time when the NSW Govt. lifts or eases restrictions such that we can operate as we have been able to previously during the covid era, under our essential services exemptions before those exemptions were modified in relation to the 12 LGA residents.
Please note, we are operation on about 10% of our normal crew capacity and in order to comply with covid protocols when our crews are attending residences
- Interactions of crew with clients and time spent at the residence must be kept to an absolute minimum.
- At all times please be mindful of these restrictions otherwise, we will be placed in a difficult position balancing government public health orders against client expectations and the welfare of our crews which may lead to major complications in being able to perform your service.
- We and our crews will be practicing social distancing and avoiding unnecessary physical interaction with clients. This can include keeping physical contact to a minimum (avoiding handshakes, etc) and requesting customers to maintain social distancing (minimum 1.5 metres) from the crews.
- Clients MUST wear masks at all times that our crews are performing their removal services.
- We also request clients limit the number of people in the residence at the time of uplift or delivery so only one person is interacting with our crew and others remain outside the premises or in other parts of the residence not being entered by our crew
During this COVID lockdown period, where we are able to be operational, OSS have a number of measures which are in place to address COVID, which include:
- We require all employees and crews to adopt frequent hand-washing and other sanitising measures. We have provided all staff with these means including hand sanitiser in all company vehicles.
- We are performing increased cleaning and disinfecting of all frequently touched surfaces in our offices, warehouses, and trucks.
- We are ensuring crews are equipped with masks and crews personal hand sanitiser as needed.
- Crews are being covid tested every 7 days.
- We are actively monitoring the daily health status of all employees through temperature checks, a series of health-related questions and providing sanitiser solutions for all staff.
- Our policy requires any employees showing any sign of sickness to stay home, undergo a COVID test and isolate until a negative result is received. Employees who have any symptoms of cold or flu will be required to stay home until they are fever and symptom free for at least 24 hours and provide a medical certificate from their doctor before returning to the workplace.
We really understand and empathise with all our clients that any delay’s to deliveries and packing and uplift services are extremely distressing, annoying and frustrating. But please understand that we are doing everything within our control to provide the most effective and timely service possible with vastly reduced resources during these extremely difficult times within our community.
Thank you for your ongoing support and rest assured we will do all in our power to maintain services whilst complying with the current Government directives, which as everyone knows are changing daily.