Members of the community have reacted positively to news the Bathurst RSL Club will deny entry to visitors from Victoria and parts of NSW in a bid to prevent the re-emergence of COVID cases in the region.
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The Bathurst RSL Club made the difficult decision yesterday to bar visitors from Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Albury and Victoria for the next fortnight in response to recent re-escalations of COVID-19 cases.
Bathurst RSL Club general manager Peter Sargent said the response from the community towards the decision has been overwhelmingly positive.
"A lot of our members have commended the decision as a good idea," Mr Sargent said.
"It goes to show people respect that we're trying to do the right thing by our club and the local community."
The decision was made based on the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Melbourne, as well as clusters of new cases in Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
Mr Sargent said the decision, while not undertaken lightly, was made to prioritise the protection of staff, members and residents of Bathurst and surrounds.
"While we value the support we receive from visitors far and wide, our number one priority is our members, the Bathurst community and our surrounds," he said.
"We understand this may be difficult to hear given we're still in the school holiday period, but if taking this measure means we can protect our staff and community more, it's a good thing to do."
The Bathurst RSL Club has made the decision on their own terms and not based on state government advice.
On Monday, the state government reintroduced tougher restrictions for pubs, but the announcement excluded clubs and restaurants.
Mr Sargent said the venue has had no issues so far with COVID-safe compliance, and has praised the community for their careful approach to social distancing.
"We've structured our furniture to ensure we're meeting capacity with social distancing and the four square metre rule," he said.
"The best protection for us is to limit our exposure, and the best way to do this is by limiting entry to people from areas with zero active cases."
Entry will be limited to regional NSW citizens until further notice.
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