NSW chief medical officer Kerry Chant calls on strata managers to update strata rolls

The NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant has called on NSW strata managers to update their strata rolls. Apartment owners - resident and absentee alike - have since been asked to update their contact details, and tenant details, in case they are needed to be alerted about infections in their buildings. The request follows numerous cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 in NSW apartment complexes. “As you are aware the COVID-19 outbreak in NSW continues to grow,” says the late August letter. “The Delta variant of COVID-19 is highly transmissible, and we have seen an increase in cases residing in residential apartment buildings. “We have also seen some instances of spread of COVID-19 between residents in common areas of apartment blocks. “I am writing to seek your support in NSW Health’s management of the current COVID-19 outbreak. “NSW Health requests that you ensure strata rolls are up to date and available to provide to the NSW Health contact tracing team upon request. Please ensure the strata roll includes the name, address, contact phone number and email address of all owners and tenants. “We also ask that you ensure residents have contact details for their strata managing agent or owners corporation to provide NSW Health on request.” The letter reminds managers of owners corporations’ legal duty under the strata act to maintain up to date resident rolls. It adds that the release of the information to NSW Health is permitted under the Public Health Act 2010. “Your assistance in streamlining the contact tracing process in this way can play a major role in decreasing risk to your building residents,” the letter says. “Given the risk of COVID-19 transmission communal areas such as gyms, lounges and theatres should be closed at this time,” it concludes. But it takes the form of an advisory, rather than an order. Some strata facilities have remained open or re-opened with voluntary QR codes, cleaning, and reduced capacity limits. There is debate now among strata committees over restricting access to gyms, pools, spas, saunas, barbecue areas, recreation rooms, theatres and gardens to the double-vaccinated only.